Tell Me, Why?
by LettingGoX
Summary: What if Katniss chose Gale, and realized she made a mistake? Peeta never moved on. "Fire plus Fire equals an even bigger fire, which Gale is using to abuse me. He's hurt me, mentally and physically, something I know you'd never do."
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Ok so this story is a PeetaxKatniss story. Remember that now. Also keep in mind that I despise Gale, so if you like him, stop reading now, because he's gunna be a pretty horrible character in this story. **

**So this story is basically that Katniss chose Gale and they got married and what not, but she soon realizes that fire plus fire results in her being hurt, and that a girl on fire like her needs her dandelion in the spring, the dandelion to give her hope.**

**Disclaimer: The Hunger Games belongs to Suzanne Collins. All songs used and quoted belong to Taylor Swift.**

I curled up in the corner of the couch, holding the side of my face with my hand. My cheek still burned from the slap I had received from Gale when he had come home from work. But I was used to his hits by now. Every day he would come home in a bad mood, and would slap me and call me a couple bad words, but I was used to it.

I looked out the window to see the busy streets of District 2. I sighed as I remembered when I got here for the first time.

_Flashback:_

"_Hi Katniss," Peeta said, sitting down at the table with me in the cafeteria._

"_Hi Peeta," I mumbled, not making eye contact with him. When I told him the news, he would be distraught._

"_Is something wrong?" Peeta asked, sensing my discomfort._

_I sighed. It was now or never. "I'm moving to District 2," I said. I took a deep breath. "With Gale. We're getting married."_

_His eyes widened for a split second but he quickly wiped the look off his face. "Congratulations," he said, trying to sound happy for me, but I could tell he was hurt._

"_I'm sorry Peeta, I really am. I just need to get away from my past," I told him._

"_It's ok Katniss, you have nothing to apologize for, I understand. And I am happy for you. As long as you're happy, I am too," he said. I could tell that I had just broken his heart beyond repair, but he was trying to hide it. He smiled a strained smile and left my table_. _That was the last conversation I had with the Boy with the Bread before we parted ways._

I still have nightmares, every night. And they are always about Peeta or Prim. Always.

Tears sprung into my eyes when I thought of how many times he had told me that. _Always._ Does that mean he still is with me?

I sighed. I'll admit, many times I've regretted not going back to 12 with Haymitch and Peeta. Many times I fantasized about running away from 2 and going back to 12, where I would knock at Peeta's door and I would fall into his open arms. I sighed again.

I called Haymitch once. It was the one night when I felt like I was going to break from how much Gale had hurt me. I still thought of Haymitch as my mentor, and thought maybe he could give me advice. His advice was exactly what I had thought about doing so many times.

"_Leave. Hop on a train and come back to 12. There will be two people waiting for you," he said._

"_I don't know if I can do that. I mean it's not that easy. I'm married for goodness sake!" I told him._

_He sighed. "Just leave the ring and come back home."_

"_I-I can't," I answered._

_Haymitch sighed again "Alright sweetheart. In that case there's only once last piece of advice I can give you," he said._

"_What?" I asked._

"_Stay alive," he answered before hanging up._

I rubbed my cheek. I think it was the hardest he had ever hit me. He was really angry tonight though. After he hit me and dumped his stuff, he had left, saying he needed sometime on his own. Then I realized that this was my chance. I looked at the clock. He wouldn't be back for at least an hour. I quickly hopped off the couch and went upstairs. I grabbed my old game bag and stuffed some clothes in it. Then I scurried over to the bedside table and opened the drawer. Inside were a few of the things that actually mattered. My Mockingjay pin, the locket Peeta had given me, and the pearl Peeta had given me.

I slipped the locket around my neck first. Then, I clipped the pin to my jacket. Last but not least, I picked up the pearl. It shone brighter than ever. I rolled it between my fingers and closed my eyes.

"I'm coming Peeta," I whispered.

I quickly put the pearl in my pocket where it would be safe. Then I scampered back down the stairs. I set down my bag and crossed over to the desk where we kept all the paper and writing stuff. I pulled out a piece of paper and a pen, and sat down to begin my note.

_Gale,_

_I took a chance, I took a shot  
>And you might think I'm bulletproof but I'm not<br>You took a swing, I took it hard  
>And down here from the ground, I see who you are<br>I'm sick and tired of your attitude  
>I'm feeling like I don't know you<br>You tell me that you love me then you cut me down  
>And I need you like a heartbeat<br>But you know you got a mean streak  
>Makes me run for cover when you're around<br>And here's to you and your temper  
>Yes, I remember what you said last night<br>And I know that you see what you're doing to me  
>Tell me, why?<br>You could write a book on how  
>To ruin someone's perfect day<br>Well, I get so confused and frustrated  
>Forget what I'm trying to say,<br>I'm sick and tired of your reasons  
>I got no one to believe in<br>You tell me that you want me, then push me around  
>Tell me, why?<br>Why do you have to make me feel small  
>So you can feel whole inside?<br>Why do you have to put down my dreams  
>So you're the only thing on my mind?<br>I'm sick and tired of your reasons  
>I've got no one to believe in<br>You ask me for my love then you push me around  
>Tell me, why?<br>I take a step back; let you go  
>I told you I'm not bulletproof<br>Now you know _

_I'm sorry Gale, but I can't take it any longer_

_You abuse me, but I was an idiot and I only just realized it._

_Now I'm going home. _

_I'm going home to beg for forgiveness from the one man who ever truly loved me._

_He's a painter_

_He's a baker_

_He always sleeps with the windows open_

_He never takes sugar in his tea_

_And he always double-knots his shoelaces_

_He loves me_

_And you know exactly who he is_

_-Katniss_

_P.S. I left the ring on the bed; the one you abused my body on so many times_

And with that, I left the note on the stairs so he would see it as soon as he got home, and walked out the door, away from the abusive man who I had the disgrace to call my ex-husband, and towards the man in 12 who loved me and would do anything for me.

**A/N: Tell me if you guys like this! I want to hear your opinions! Every chapter will be based on a song, but they won't all have the lyrics like this one. **


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hello people! I'm flabbergasted by all the amazing reviews! I got so happy! And, as I promised, here is chapter 2. This chapter will be inspired by the song Back to December by Taylor Swift, which is truly an amazing song. **

**Disclaimer: Sigh. I don't own the Hunger Games. But maybe someday I shall own something as amazing.**

I sat on the train seat, nervously tapping my foot. I was going home. I was really going home.

I decided to call Haymitch.

"Haymitch?" I said into the phone.

"Hey Sweetheart, haven't heard from you in awhile," he chuckled.

"Haymitch," I repeated. "I'm coming home."

The other end went silent.

"Haymitch? Haymitch!" I yelled.

"Sorry 'bout that sweetheart, now what were you saying?" he said.

"I'm coming home Haymitch," I repeated.

"Well that's good," Haymitch answered. "At least Peeta will get out of his funk finally."

"What?" What was he talking about? What was wrong with Peeta?

"I shouldn't have said that," Haymitch said ruefully.

"Haymitch, please. What's wrong with Peeta? I have the right to know!" I squealed.

Haymitch sighed. "Ever since we got back to 12, Peeta has been depressed. I see tons of those pretty merchant gals trying to get his attention, but he shakes them off. The only time he comes out of his house now is to work at the bakery which he rebuilt."

I gasped. Peeta was in depression? Because of me? Tears started piling up in my eyes. It was my entire fault. My poor Peeta.

"Tell him, please," I begged Haymitch. I wanted Peeta to return back to normal as soon as possible. "Tell him I'm coming home to him, tell him I made a mistake," I gulped. "Tell him I realized that I love him."

After hanging up with Haymitch, I pulled my knees up to my chest. This was going to be a long ride.

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

Two hours later, I finally arrive in 12. I grab my bag and run out of the train. I decide to go check the bakery first. But before I can leave the station, I hear a gruff voice behind me.

"Eager much, Sweetheart?"

I spin around with a smile on my face. I crush my old mentor in a hug. He hugs me back. When we finally part, he pats my back.

"Go find him Sweetheart," he says smiling. I nod and smile before running out of the station. I crush the dry autumn leaves on the ground. My mind keeps spinning with all the possibilities of what will happen. Will he be happy to see me? Or will he be angry for me deserting him?

I finally reach the bakery. As I enter through the door, the little bell tinkles above, signaling a customer.

"Coming!" I hear. My face breaks out into a grin. I'd recognize that voice anywhere.

Then I finally see him. I see him for the first time in 3 years. His golden locks are slightly tangled, and his cheeks glow a soft pink from the heat of the ovens. His forearms are also covered in flour. Then there are his eyes. Those beautiful blue orbs that can make your heart melt.

"Hello how may I-" he starts. Then he sees who I am. I give him a soft smile. His eyes widen in disbelief. "Katniss?" he barely whispers.

"Peeta," I reply.

His face breaks out in a grin. "Haymitch told me you were coming back home, but I thought he was just messing with me."

I chuckle. "Well, here I stand."

He smiles, and I literally see sparks fly in his blue eyes. "Yes," he whispers. "Here you stand."

He walks around the counter. He seems unsure if he should hug me or not, and I don't blame him. So I walk towards him and crush him in a hug. He hugs me back.

"I've missed you so much," I whisper, tears coming back to my eyes.

"I've missed you too," he replied.

"Peeta, you don't understand," I say. He pulls away in confusion. I look into his eyes. "I made a mistake. I thought that I should leave everything about my past behind and try to forget it, but I was stupid. I realized that I have to deal with my past with someone who understands and knows what I'm going through.

"When I told you that I was going to marry Gale, it broke m heart, because I didn't truly love him, but I convinced myself that I did, thinking that it would be good for me. I keep replaying that conversation in my mind, and can never get over the fact that I acted like a monster. But Peeta, I loved you, I love you, and will always love you," I said, tears beginning to trickle down my face.

"So what you're saying is that you love me back?" Peeta asked, searching my face for a lie.

I nodded. "I was just too stupid to realize it. I don't expect you to forgive me. I broke your heart and stomped all over it. My heart always belonged to you ever since I hollered your name in our first Games, but I tried to convince myself to give it to someone who didn't deserve it. I don't expect you to forgive me, I expect you to-" I was cut off by Peeta lips crashing onto my mine. I stunned for a second, but quickly regained my senses. I looped my arms around his neck, and let him put his around my back. I deepened the kiss and closed my eyes, never wanting to let go.

We finally broke apart gasping for air.

"I'm sorry," I whisper. "I'm sorry for that night."

He leaned his forehead against mine. "All that matters is the here and now."

I gulped, swallowing back my pride, preparing to let my guts out to him. Preparing to tell him how I was an idiot, a stupid girl with a monstrosity of a childhood. But before I could, he kissed me again. I let him take me, and gave myself up to the kiss. I fluttered my eyes closed and focused on how soft his lips were.

My mind flashes back to the first night he had held me on the train, the first night he had ever seen me cry. That's when my feelings for him began to show on the outside.

I kissed him harder, pushing him against the counter. He tightened his grip around me, as if he was afraid I would suddenly let go and laugh in his face. I responded to this by relaxing my lips a little and letting out a little sigh.

One of his hands flew up and tangled into my hair, which I had let down for once. Peeta always told me he loved it when I let my hair down. This action sent shivers down my spine.

"Well, looks like we had a happy reunion," I hear. I jump out of Peeta's arm, my face blushing beat red. Peeta's ears got pink as well.

Haymitch stood in front of us, a smirk on his face. I relaxed, realizing it was only him. "You could give a little privacy old man," I teased. He scowled.

"Well, I guess then you don't mind that it's already 10:00 p.m. and it has started to rain," he smirked.

"A little water won't kill us," I retorted.

"Especially now," Peeta said, taking my hand. I turned and smiled at him. Finally, I was back home. Home with the only man who truly loved me. Home with the Boy with the Bread. Oh, and let's not forget Haymitch.

SSSSSSSSSSSS

When we finally got back to Victor's village, we quickly got into my house. We, meaning Peeta and I, took off our jackets and hung them up. I looked around. I hadn't been here in 3 years. 3 whole years. It looked exactly the same. It was even clean still.

"Man, this place looks exactly the same," I commented.

Peeta chuckled. He turned to me. "Well, I guess I better get going," he said. He gave me a peck on the cheek and began turning towards the door when I gripped his hand.

"Stay with me," I pleaded.

He smiled. "Always."

That was the first night that I didn't have nightmares in 3 years.

**A/N: Not my best, I kept flip-flopping on what I wanted to do with this chapter. But I'm happy with the outcome. Enough about me, how bout you guys? What do you think of it? Make sure to tell me in the reviews!**

**Also, if you have any suggestions of songs that I should base a chapter on, feel free to put it in a review! Make sure it's by Taylor Swift though, because she's like the only singer that I'll actually know the song if you suggest it :P**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Yay! Chapter 3 is here! About time too. Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed or added this story to their favorites or alerts. **

**This chapter will be based off the song Sparks Fly. Warning: This chapter has been labeled dangerous for extreme Peetniss fluffiness. (Peetniss is Peeta and Katniss. The other choice was Peeniss.)**

**Disclaimer: Do I seriously have to do one of these for every chapter?**

The chirping of a mockingjay outside of my window awoke me from my slumber. I blinked, adjusting my eyes to the light. I felt at peace, and strangely happy. This confused me. My face was usually sore from one of Gale's beatings, and the words he told me would haunt my mind. Then I remembered where I was.

I turned over and sure enough, there was Peeta, sleeping and his arms around me. I smiled. I was home, home being Peeta's arms in District 12. I leaned down and carefully kissed Peeta's neck. He smiled in his sleep. That's when I realized he wasn't actually asleep.

"Stop fake sleeping Peeta," I smiled, rolling my eyes. His eyes opened, and I almost choked on a gasp. His eyes always took away my breath. The perfect shade of blue. His eyes were like his kisses. Soft and meaningful. Full of passion, but with the gentle touch that only Peeta possesses.

"That was the best sleep I've had in years," he said.

"Same here," I replied. I leaned in and softly kissed his lips.

Thirty minutes later, we're in my kitchen eating pancakes. Oh, and cheesebuns. I absolutely adore his cheesebuns.

"So," Peeta starts. "What would you like to do today?"

I pondered for a minute. What did I want to do? Gale never let me go out, only occasionally to get groceries or such. "I guess we could go into town," I said.

"Sure thing," Peeta responded.

A couple hours later we're walking through the streets of town, hand in hand.

"KATNISS EVERDEEN?" I hear someone scream behind me. I spin around and see a woman in her thirties stumbling towards us.

"Oh my lord it's Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark!" she squealed. I laughed.

"It sure is," I said.

"Thank you," she blurted out. "Thank you for making Panem a better place."

She staggered off and I turned to Peeta. We burst out laughing. His laugh just seemed to send sparks flying through my body; it was an amazing feeling, and only Peeta could give it to me.

We continue to the bakery, where Peeta makes us cheesebuns upon my request. I just could not get enough of his cheesebuns. We're sitting at a table in the bakery when Peeta's pupils begin to dilate. His hands grip the edge of the table and he clamps his eyes shut. His breathing begins to get raspy.

At first I'm confused of what's happening. Then I remember about the hijacking. I stand up and place myself behind Peeta. I gently place my hands on his shoulders and kiss the back of his neck.

"It's not real Peeta," I whisper in his ears. "Not real."

"Not real," I hear him mutter. "Not a mutt, not real."

His grip on the table finally relaxes and he turns his head to look at me. His eyes are filled with a sadness that reminds me of a little kid that got a bad report card or something. I sling my arms around his neck from behind and rest my head against his neck. I can't even begin to imagine how hard it must be for him to have these flashbacks.

We quickly forget what happened and go back to our original happy mood. We're walking back home when rain begins pouring down all of a sudden. I shriek and this makes Peeta chuckle. We start running back home when Peeta stops us in Town Square.

"Come on Peeta, we're already drenched, we need to get home!" I squeal.

"You look so beautiful with the rain in your hair," he says gazing in my eyes, completely ignoring what I had just said. And before I could blink, Peeta had his lips against mine. It was no use being on my guard when I was with him. I looped my arms around his neck and he encircled his around my back. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see people stop to watch, oblivious to the pouring rain. I guess seeing two of Panem's favorite star-crossed lovers kissing was a big deal.

But I didn't care about the people watching. All that mattered was Peeta and I, and how much we loved each other. When we finally pulled apart, we were soaked through, but we couldn't care less. I gazed into his eyes, and all the pain Gale had inflicted upon me in the last 3 years seemed to vanish. I was free of that monster, and was now with my guardian angel.

We strolled back home hand in hand, not caring about the rain. I couldn't take my eyes of him, and the same went for him. When we got home, we stripped off our rain covered jackets and our lips were instantly locked again. When we separated, Peeta reached one of his arms down and proceeded to pick carry me bridal style.

"Peeta!" I squealed. "Put me down!"

"Why?" he smirked.

I just giggle-squealed and let him carry me to our room. He finally put me down sitting on the bed and he sat down next me. He cupped my face in his hands and drove his lips towards mine once again. Our lips locked as I pushed him down on the bed so that I was on top of him. I put my hands on his chest and he put his on the small of my back.

That night, I gave myself to Peeta. It was a gentle experience; I couldn't picture Peeta any different than gentle. And I confess, I'm glad it happened. I was officially Peeta's, and he was mine. We fell asleep that night stark naked, not caring enough to get dressed.

The next morning, I opened my eyes to see that Peeta's wasn't there. I quickly sat up, exposing my bare chest to the world. I hopped out of bed and threw on a silk robe. I hopped down the steps, following the aroma coming from the kitchen. Peeta had on a pair of pants and a shirt and was setting down a plate of pancakes on the table as I came into the kitchen. As soon as he saw me he came over to me, putting an arm around my waist and gently placing a kiss on the top of my head.

"How'd you sleep last night?" he murmured into my ear.

I giggled. "Well, first of all Peeta, we didn't do too much actual sleeping," I said as he smiled. I smiled as well. "Let's just say that last night was the best night of my life." I tilted my head up and planted a quick kiss on his lips. I wiggled out of his arms and sat down at the table, quickly attacking a pancake. We hadn't had dinner the night before, so I was starved. Peeta laughed at my ravenous behavior as he sat across from me. For the rest of the day, we enjoyed one another's company in our own house since it was raining outside. We were about to show each other our love again when we heard Haymitch come in uninvited. We quickly threw our clothes back on and staggered down the stairs. I glared daggers at Haymitch for wrecking the mood. Haymitch noticed this and grew suspicious.

"What were you two up to?" Haymitch questioned us. Peeta blushed and ran a hand through his hair. Haymicth turned his attention towards Peeta. "Did lover boy finally get to bake in a real oven?"

Peeta and I gasped. "Haymitch!" I scolded. Haymitch just chuckled.

For the rest of the day, Haymitch stayed with us. We tried getting rid of him many times, but I think he was doing it on purpose. I sighed. Oh well, there was always tomorrow.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hey guys! Sorry it took me so long to update, it's just that I got this one really mean review on my other story and I was kind of bummed for a couple days. I removed it as soon as possible, but I was really sad because he or she said that my other story was 'pathetic crap' :'( The thing is that I don't mind if you correct me, I actually want you to correct me! But if you do, just be nice about it. But I'm really happy at the same time, because that's the only mean review I've ever gotten on all my stories. So thank you everyone who has cheered me on through these two stories. **

**Ok so, this chapter doesn't really have a song to it, it's more like a filler. **

**Disclaimer: You know the drill, I don't own the Hunger Games**

4 weeks later

I felt the stinging in my throat and leaped off the bed. I scurried into the bathroom and vomited my dinner from last night. I soon felt strong hands hold my hair back and rub my upper back. When I was finally done, I lifted my head from the toilet, my thoughts swirling inside my skull.

I looked up at Peeta to see that he had a worried expression on his face. My pupils darted away from his accusing glare and focused on a spot on the wall.

"Katniss, something's wrong," Peeta stated.

"Yeah, no kidding," I scoffed.

"Katniss, you're not telling me something," he replied with a worried look.

My head hung down, eyes glued to the floor, only for Peeta to lift my chin up, forcing me to stare into his confused blue eyes. I felt tears well up in my eyes. I wanted to tell him so badly, but I'm afraid of the aftermath. Will he be happy? Or angry? Or both?

"Katniss please," Peeta begged. A single tear ran down my cheek, which I hastily rubbed away, not letting my emotions get the better of me. Upon seeing this, Peeta wraps his arms around me. I lean my head against his chest and sigh.

"Is it something good or something bad?" Peeta asks.

"I don't know," I whimper in response.

"Well, does it make you feel happy or sad?"

"I don't know."

"Would it make me feel happy or sad?"

"I don't know."

Peeta sighs. "See, you don't know. That means you can't go through whatever this is alone. I can help you Katniss, I promise."

"I-I'm pre-pre…" I stutter.

"What is it Katniss? I promise you, you can tell me anything," Peeta whispers in my ear, sending shivers down my neck.

I gulp. _It's now or never, _I think to myself. I detach myself from Peeta's arms and sit down on the toilet seat. I pulled my knees up to my chest, the realization dawning upon me. By telling Peeta, it would mean that I'd truly accepted that it's true.

Peeta crouches down in front of me, taking my hand in his. I take a deep breath and clench my eyes shut, not wanting to see Peeta's reaction when I told him.

"I'm pregnant," I whispered into my knees.

"What?" Peeta asked.

"Please don't make me say it again," I whimpered.

"No, Katniss, really, I didn't hear you. You're talking to your knees."

I look up and see pure confusion on his face. "Pregnant. I'm pregnant Peeta," I blurt out.

I see his confused expression morph into a grin going from ear to ear. I smile. That must be a good sign.

Before I know it, Peeta has arms around my waist and I'm spinning in the air. I shriek in surprise.

He finally put me down, but kept me in his arms. He kissed me repeatedly, on my lips and cheeks.

"A baby," he whispers, placing a hand on my lower abdomen. "Our baby. Our baby that's going to have dark brown hair and grey eyes just like its mother."

I smile. "Or blonde hair and blue eyes like its father."

He looks at me with a serious expression on his face. "I am the father, right?"

I gasp. "Of course! You have my virginity."

Peeta looked relieved. "Just making sure. I mean, I don't know if you and Gale had that sort of relationship."

I quickly shook my head. "No, no. He tried, but I never let him go that far. No matter how many times he hit me, that was the one thing I refused to give him."

"_Hit you?" _Peeta cried out in disbelief.

"It's nothing," I said quickly, regretting my previous comment.

"Katniss," he said sternly. "It isn't nothing. I want you to tell me what he did to you right now."

I sigh. I knew this was coming. So I tell him. I tell him about how whenever Gale came home from work, he would take his anger out on me.

When I finish, Peeta has a disgusted look on his face. I looked down at the floor and played with my fingers.

"If I ever see Hawthorne again, I swear I'll kill him," Peeta growled.

"Peeta please don't talk like that…" I pleaded.

Peeta sighed. "I'm sorry; it's just that after being in two Hunger Games with you, it kills me to think about you in pain."

"It's ok," I smiled, involuntarily rubbing my hand across what would soon be my baby bump. This made Peeta's face light up again. He came over to where I was sitting and picked me up bridal style. This made me squeal.

"Peeta!" I shrieked.

"What?" he replied, a smile tugging at his lips.

"Put me down!"

He just stuck his tongue out at me like a little kid. I did the same back.

He carried me all the way down to the kitchen where he sat down and put me in his lap. He was so much taller than me that even when I sat on his lap my eyesight was parallel with his chin.

I leaned my head against his chest and he kissed the top of my head before placing his own hand on my lower abdomen.

"Hey there baby. I'm your daddy."

Two weeks later, I already have a noticeable bump forming. We went to the ultra sound and discovered that our baby was perfectly healthy. As a matter of fact, our _babies_ were healthy. Yes, we were having twins. Peeta was ecstatic, but he wasn't the one who was going to have to carry around two kicking babies for nine months.

I was cooking dinner when I heard the shower turn on upstairs, signaling that Peeta was going to take a shower. I put dinner on the table and went into the living room to read a book. But before I could even open the front cover, the doorbell rang. I groaned as I stood up, making my way towards the door. I shrieked and jumped back in terror when I saw who stood on the porch.

"G-G-Gale?" I stuttered.

"Katniss," he responded. And that's when his eyes found the bump on my stomach. He took a step towards me, causing me to step back and bump into a side table, my hands gripping the edges for dear life.

"Why do you think I'm going to hurt you?" Gale questioned, taking another step closer.

I whimpered in response and edged towards the kitchen, where there would at least be some sort of weapon.

"Katniss, what are you doing? Why do you look so scared?" he asked me, a threatening tone in his voice.

"Because you hurt me," I say quietly, still edging into the kitchen.

"I know, I came here to apologize."

**A/N: Oh Gale, what is he going to try now? Haha don't worry, Katniss isn't going to believe him even for a second. So I just learned that mean reviews are called flames, so please, NO FLAMES! They make me sad. :'( I welcome constructive criticism, but no flames. Please and thank you. :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: You guys are too awesome! So many awesome reviews! It totally makes my day! :) I have so much fun writing this story, and seeing all the reviews makes it so worth it! Especially one review by Sydney. State. Of. Mind. Her constructive criticisms are really helpful while writing, and can really help me grow as a writer. Thanks!**

**Also, this chapter and next chapter are going to be all in like, an hour or something, because it's the whole confrontation with Gale. But don't worry, they'll still be long! Oh yeah, and this chapter is based on the song You're Not Sorry which was suggested by ****SWPeetaxKatnissAvatarTLA.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Hunger Games because it's way too mega awesomely awesome for a thirteen year old like me to own. Plus everyone reading this already knows that Suzanne Collins owns it and let me tell you, I am not Suzanne Collins.**

"W-what?" I choked.

"I'm sorry. The last few years I've been a monster, and I don't deserve you. But please, Katniss, can you forgive me?" Gale begged.

I looked in his eyes, searching for whatever he was really feeling, like how I did with Peeta so many times. _ Peeta. _My hand involuntarily settled on my bump on my stomach, smiling as I thought of what Peeta and I had been able to create. Gale took my smile the wrong way, and took a step towards me. This caused my feet to jump backwards in fright. Normally, I wouldn't be afraid of Gale, but currently I was holding two lives inside of me. If he hurt me, he would be hurting them.

I looked in his eyes again, but I saw no emotion in them.

"Are you really sorry, Gale?" I asked, still keeping my distance.

"Yes, I am. Truly," he answered. Again, his eyes held no emotion. No regret, no apology. Just the blank gray color that I had somehow fallen for. My face turned hard.

"I think you're lying," I said. "I can see it in your eyes."

"Katniss please! I love y-"

"No," I cut him off. "That was the last straw. I don't want to hurt anymore Gale! There's nothing left to beg for…" I trailed off, sobs beginning to wrack my body.

He made a move to comfort me, but I darted his arms, and made a sprint for the stairs, but he caught me.

"Katniss, can we please just have a civilized conversation?" he begged me. I turned to him, crossing my arms for whatever he was going to say.

"Katniss, I love you. I love you more than Mellark can ever love you."

"Lies! Why are you lying to me? Too many people have lied to me!" I exclaimed. Behind his head, sunlight shone through a window above the door, giving him a glow. I had seen Peeta in this position many times before, but unlike Peeta who seemed to look like angel, Gale just looked like a ghost. A ghost from my past, coming back to hurt me one last time.

"I'm not lying to you!" Gale exclaimed exasperated.

I wanted to shout to Peeta so badly, but this was _my _battle to fight. "It took me this long, but I think I've finally figured you out," I said in a shaky voice. "Tell me sorry all you want, but I don't think I can believe you like I used to."

"I'm telling you the truth!" Gale shouted.

I shook my head. I wasn't going to reduce to yelling like he was. "By what I've seen and experienced, it doesn't seem like it. If that was true, I wouldn't be happy. Hell, I wouldn't be pregnant!"

His face hardened. "Oh, so that's what this is about," he said in a solid tone, taking a step towards me. I took another step back. "He's the father of your child. That's why you don't want to leave. But you don't really love him."

I sighed. "Don't."

"What?"

"Don't tell me how to feel. It's _no use._" I informed him, my voice dripping with venom. "Gale I don't get it. I don't understand. Why? Why did you hurt me? What would you gain from it? Tell me."

"The war changes a person, Katniss," he said. "I was healing, and dealing with my mentality."

"I gave you chances, many, many times. But you let me down. _Every time."_

"Katniss, every day I would think about how many mistakes I made during that war, and I just get so angry at myself, I can't control my actions," he told me.

"I could've loved you, but you left me waiting in the cold. You don't really love me, you just think you do. If you really loved me, you'd rather me be happy. Like… like Peeta," I said.

"Katniss-"

"Stop it!" I shouted. "Stop it! Stop saying my name!" I sobbed. "I'm tired of being the last to know what you're feeling! You think that I can just come back to you and be happy, but it doesn't work like that! I'm broken Gale, the past few years will never let me free! I'm going to be trapped in my thoughts of the Games forever! Over and over, I'll have to see Rue being shot by that spear, and Peeta's heart almost going out, and Finnick being destroyed by the mutts! I'll never be free, I've never left the arena, and I never will…" I was full-out sobbing now.

"I can help you. I can help you heal."

"NO! You can't! You don't know…" I cried. "Only Peeta knows. Only…"

"I'm sorry. I'm so-" I cut him off.

"NO! YOU'RE NOT SORRY! YOU'RE NOT! YOU NEVER WILL BE! YOU'RE NOT, YOU'RE NOT, YOU'RE NOT!" I shouted. I was surprised Peeta hadn't heard all my shouting yet.

"What do I have to do to get you to forgive me?" Gale pleaded.

"GET OUT OF MY FREAKING HOUSE!" I was angry now. Very angry.

He sighed. "I was hoping it wouldn't come to this, Katniss."

The next moment, he had a rough grip on my shoulders and I was roughly pinned to the wall. The blank look in his grey eyes was replaced by a fiery glare.

I whimpered in fright, and wrapped my arms protectively around my womb. "What are you doing?" I shrieked. He answered by colliding his fist with my jaw. I cried out in pain and slumped to the floor, back leaning against the wall. I guess I was pretty loud, because the shower upstairs turned off and I heard Peeta.

"Katniss?" I heard him call from upstairs. "Katniss, are you ok?"

"Peeta!" I shouted.

"I'm coming!" I heard.

I shut my eyes in pain from my jaw. I felt something collide with my womb and send sharp pains all through my spine, making me gasp in pain.

"And that's for the baby!" I heard Gale say.

A single tear slid down my cheek and I opened my eyes. I looked down and saw a red liquid escaping the inside's of my legs. Black dots began obscuring my vision and breathing became raspy.

The last thing I saw was Peeta coming out of nowhere and tackling Gale to the ground, sending punches to his face, before I fell into the blackness.

**A/N: I know I didn't make this very clear, but the sharp pain in her womb was Gale kicking her in the abdomen. Naughty Gale. Wow I left you with such a cliffhanger, huh? You must hate me right now, I would hate me too. Haha don't worry, next update is gunna be tomorrow, because today was officially the first day of SPRING BREAK! :D I'm gunna be super bored for the next week, so expect TONS of updates. **


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: OMG I WENT FROM 64 TO 102 REVIEWS! THAT'S LIKE, 40 REVIEWS! FOR ONE CHAPTER! ! Tee hee I'm all smiley now. I read EVERY SINGLE review, and I was like giggling the whole time cause you guys are fun-ny. Pfft, you thought Gale killed her babies. You should've seen the look on your face! Except, I didn't see it either because, you know, this isn't facebook or anything. Fanfiction is WAY COOLER than facebook. Free virtual invisible chocolate chips to anyone who agrees! :D **

**Disclaimer: I do not own da book. Da one by da Suz-anne.**

**PS: This chapter doesn't have a song. If you read you'll know why**

**PSS: For all of you who read this chapter when it was first posted, you will notice that it has changed. So if you did read the original, you can just skip down to after Katniss is like, "So my baby is going to die?" This will be mentioned in the next chapter as well.**

_I was running. Everything around me was black, and a feeling of danger overflowed my mind. I had to get out of here, out of the darkness. I had to find the light. Suddenly, the floor below me vanished. I braced myself for the fall into who-knows-what, but nothing happened. I was standing on air. I tried running, and the feeling was amazing! I was running on nothing, just space. _

_I saw something in the distance. As I grew closer, I saw it was a light. Finally! I could escape this darkness._

"_Katniss!" I heard. The voice was coming from the light. I ran faster, and saw the outline of a man. Even though the light was too strong to see his facial features, I couldn't ignore the bright blue piercing through the rays of light._

"_Peeta, I'm coming!" I yelled back. I was full-out sprinting now._

"_Katniss," I heard a low voice say behind me. I skidded to a halt and spun around. There was Gale standing there, the blackness covering his figure. I could just make out his face and torso. But he was holding something in his arms. I took a step closer, and gasped when I realized what he was holding._

_He was holding a baby in each arm. I didn't have to think twice to know that those were _my _babies._

"_Aren't you going to save them Katniss? You've already killed so many people Katniss, the least you could do is save your own children. Or are you going to run to Bread Boy again?" Gale sneered._

"_Katniss! Please! Come here," I heard Peeta shout._

_I was at crossroads. What should I do? I had to help my babies, but this was all so confusing! I don't even remember giving birth. I don't even know where I am!_

_I had just realized that this was a dream before the air holding up my body disappeared, and I felt myself falling down into the black abyss of darkness. I was falling, and falling, never landing. It felt like hours before my back made contact with a cold, metal surface, and…_

I jolted awake. My eyes flew open to see a cracked white ceiling. My mind registered that I was lying down, but I didn't know _what _I was lying on. My vision was a little clouded, so I had to blink a few times before I could see properly. I looked to my right and saw Peeta who, sitting on chair, had a grip on my hand with both of his and had his head bent and eyes closed.

"Peeta?" I mumbled groggily.

His head shot up and his eyes flicked open. I could tell he had been crying. "Katniss, you're awake!" he exclaimed. His hair was messy and slightly damp, and his eyes looked sullen and sad.

I was about to ask what happened, when the memory of Gale's visit slapped me in the face. My eyes quickly scanned the room, and I noticed that I was in a hospital room. One thought immediately popped into my head.

"The babies," I gasped. "Are they ok? Are they ok Peeta?"

He dropped my gaze. "I shouldn't be the one to tell you," he mumbled. I could see tears begin to form in his eyes again.

"Peeta, tell me! If something happened to them, of course I'd want it to be you to tell me," I pleaded.

He sighed. "Well, about a half an hour ago, they did some tests while you were asleep to check the babies. They haven't gotten their results yet, but…" he trailed off.

"But what?" I asked exasperated.

He looked at me again, and I could see a tear trickle out of his right eye. "The doctor says that there's an eighty percent chance that at least one of them died."

The room suddenly began to spin. Tears began clouding my vision, and I felt Peeta tighten his grip on my hand.

"Katniss? Katniss calm down!" What was he talking about? I suddenly snapped back to reality, and fell with a thud onto the cold metal below me. My vision refocused, and I looked down to see my hands violently gripping the tissue paper on the bed, already having torn it a bit. I relaxed my hands and my breathing, which was abnormally hard and raspy. I suddenly broke out sobbing. I sat up and pulled my knees to my chest, hiding my eyes in the thin paper gown I was wearing. I felt warm, comforting arms wrap around me, and I leaned into them. I cried until I couldn't cry anymore. Until my eyes were cried dry. I lifted my head to look up at Peeta, who was also crying, but kept his arms around me.

"It's happening, Peeta," I choked out.

"What's happening?"

"The whole reason I was always against having kids when I was younger!" I exclaimed. "Everything I ever grow to love ends up being taken away from me! It's my entire fault! I should've defended myself when he shoved me against the wall. I should've hit him, or something, and ran up the stairs to you. I'm so stupid and selfish! I told myself it was my battle to fight and look where I am now. How can you love someone as selfish as I am? My stupid pride killed our child!"

"You don't know that," he whispered in my ear.

"But they couldn't have survived! They were just developing, not even a month old. They were so weak…" I sniffed.

Peeta didn't say anything; he knew when to back off. Smart boy. He just planted a kiss on the top of my head.

We waited a half hour, just sitting silently on the bed with our arms wrapped around each other, before we heard a knock on the door. Peeta hopped off the bed as the door opened. A blonde lady in a doctor's outfit stepped into the room. She had piercing green eyes and little make up. She looked kind.

"What were the results?" Peeta asked the doctor eagerly; whose name tag read _Dr. Krolen. _"Are they alive?"

Dr. Krolen smiled. "I'm happy to inform you that both babies are currently alive." Peeta and I let out a sigh of relief. The doctor smiled again. "Normally, a woman in your stage of pregnancy would have had a miscarriage, but Katniss here has an unusually strong immune system, and the babies were somehow smart enough to feed off of it, as unusual as that may sound."

Peeta came over to sit by me. His eyes were sparkling. "Hear that, Katniss? Our babies are alive and healthy!"

"Not quite healthy, ," Dr Krolen said, a sad grimace replacing her bright smile. Our heads snapped around to see her.

"W-what?" I choked.

"One of the babies is in perfect condition. Healthy and strong. But the other wasn't so fortunate." She pulled her clipboard out from underneath her arm and looked down at it. "According to these exams it seems as though when you received the blow to your abdomen, one of the babies, the more developed one, moved in front of the less developed baby, almost as if it were protecting it, or blocking it from being hurt. Unfortunately, this caused the more developed baby to receive a fatal hit to the head, the temple to be exact."

I clenched my eyes shut, as if it could block out the pain I was feeling. "So, what you're saying is that one of my babies is going to die soon," I said.

"No, actually," said. I snapped my eyes back open. "You're baby will live, I can assure you, but the blow caused some severe head damage, causing a central nerve in the brain to be damaged." She flipped a page on her clipboard and scanned her emerald eyes across the paper. "We weren't able to see much, since you are only six weeks into the pregnancy, but it seems as though the blow caused severe head trauma.

"We're are not positive yet, but we think that there is a chance for your child to have some extreme symptoms similar to those of a child with a common genetic syndrome."

"Which one?" Peeta piped up beside me, his face creased with worry and nervousness about whatever the doctor was about to tell us.

"Down syndrome."

**A/N: I still can't believe you guys thought I was going to kill her babies. Tsk Tsk. Jk I would've thought that too. Also, I'm really inspired by Down syndrome victims. Especially the ones at my school. All the guys will laugh and point at them in P.E., and I just think that it's so mean because those special ed. kids are the sweetest things ever. More virtual chocolate chips for everyone who has a friend or knows someone and is nice to someone with disabilities. :) **


	7. Chapter 7

**Mmkay guys, I'm not going to give you some long author's note, but what I have to say is IMPORTANT! Ok, so the fact that the baby moved and stuff and did all these really bizarre things confused a bunch of you. C'mon guys! FORSHADOWING, people! It's **_**supposed **_**to be really unusual and unrealistic and to confuse even the doctors. Use your foreshadowing skills, and everything you know about the books. Has anyone gotten it yet? Probably not. When I announce it in the story, you guys are gunna jump out of your socks!**

**Disclaimer: Yup, you guessed it. I, in fact, do not own the Hunger Games trilogy at all.**

Down syndrome? I imagined the struck confusion on my face right then. Next to me, though, Peeta looked like he was about to break down.

I turned to the doctor. "Um… pardon my cluelessness, but what is that?"

Dr. Krolen forced a small grimace on her face. "Down's syndrome is originally a genetic disorder, but we think that your baby may be born with some symptoms similar to those of a child with this disorder. We are still extremely… bewildered, that it was possible for this to happen at all, as it goes against any medical information we have been taught."

I bit my lip. "What… what are the symptoms?" I asked hopefully. Maybe it wasn't as bad as the doctor was making it sound. Maybe it was something like that thing I heard about, called dyslexia. I remembered that there was once a tribute in the Games who had it, who ended up being in the final two.

"Well, we still aren't sure which ones your child has, but the possible ones include weak muscles, short stature, a wide neck, irregularly shaped mouth, a difficulty to learn, speech issues, and heart problems."

I felt my jaw drop. And that was only a few of them. I had a feeling she was trying to under-exaggerate to make me feel better. It didn't work.

A sob escaped my throat as I looked down at Peeta, who had a lining of wetness riming his blue eyes. Instead of being the bright, azure color that they usually were, they looked dull and sorrowful, as if all the light had been sucked right out of them.

The doctor let me leave the hospital later that day. Peeta and I walked home in silence, both lost in our own thoughts. Mine were swirling around inside my skull, slapping me in the face, yelling that I should've seen this coming, and I shouldn't have let myself relax, even for a second. Because my life is never going to be simple or easy. The moment Prim's name was pulled, simple wasn't allowed in my life anymore.

I barreled through the front door of the house and collapsed on the couch, curling up in the corner of the pillows and stuffing my face into one of the soft, white, plush ones. I tried to cry, but I couldn't, and I hated myself for it. I couldn't cry for my baby, my baby that wasn't going to be given the chance to have a normal and safe life because of… that… _thing._

I felt the couch dip beside me, and a warm, solid hand began stroking my shaking back in soothing motions. I immediately calmed down a bit.

I hugged the pillow tighter to my chest, with my face still buried in the soft wispy fabric.

"I-It's n-not f-fair!" I hiccupped, slightly pulling my face out of the feathers.

"It isn't," Peeta agreed, keeping his hand on my back.

I moved my body around to collapse in his arms, keeping my fingers clenched on the pillow, grasping for anything to keep me anchored to the ground.

I buried my face in his shoulder as he stroked my hair with one hand, the other wrapped securely around my shaking figure.

"It's a-all his f-fault," I sobbed.

"I know, but we'll get through it," Peeta tried reassuring me.

"But this isn't about _us!" _I exclaimed, looking up at him. "It's about our baby! Because of this, he or she is never going to be able to live a normal life! She was so innocent…" I didn't like referring to the baby as an _it, _and _she _felt right.

"Katniss," Peeta said sternly, making me look up at him once again. "Just because… she's going to have some problems doesn't mean she won't be able to grow up and become an amazing person. She is still going to be beautiful and perfect, and we are still going to love her more than anything. Who she is, isn't what Gale did to her. It's what she's _going_ to do."

"But look at us, Peeta," I whispered. "We finally had a grasp on life, we were finally _happy_, and then this happened."

"Katniss I just told you, a few silly symptoms are going to hold her back. I mean, you're her mother, aren't you? When have you ever let something hold you back? When have you ever given up without a fight?"

Why was he so right? "I vowed to myself that I would protect them, that I wouldn't let anything happen to them, but I did. I should have fought to protect them when I could. But I didn't! I let Gale hurt them! I'll never forgive myself for that." A tear slipped out of the corner of my eye, and I didn't bother wiping it away. Why should I? It wouldn't help anything.

"Katniss, just because you lost your balance, doesn't mean that you have to lose your mind trying to get it back. People are here to help you."

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah. You and Haymitch. That's really reassuring."

Peeta chuckled at my sarcasm. "Exactly. The three of us are one happy family. And soon," He placed a hand on my abdomen. "It'll be the five of us."

I allowed myself the smallest of smiles at the feeling of Peeta's hand on my stomach, and when he leaned down a placed a small kiss next to his hand.

If Peeta was so sure things could be ok, maybe, just maybe, they would be.

**Intermission: So much angst and sadness! I hate it! I don't like all the sadness, let's have a little break. Go grab a snack, or stretch your legs a bit. We're going to skip down to that night, when they're getting ready for bed, as soon as we get back. I'm gunna go grab a Coke.**

…

…

…

**Alright, we're back! Prepare, my children…**

"I'm going to go take a shower," I said, grabbing my pajamas from the closet.

"Alright, Sweetheart," Peeta replied from the bed where he was sketching who-knows-what on some notepad.

I rolled my eyes and put a hand on my hip. "Seriously? Sweetheart? Have you been talking to Haymitch lately?" I grinned.

He rolled his eyes back at me. "Oh, kill me. I want to call my girlfriend sweetheart."

I just smiled and shook my head. I was definitely in a better mood than before. Peeta had managed to convince me that both of our children were still going to be perfect. He promised that tomorrow we would do our research on this syndrome, so that when the time comes, we'll know exactly what to do.

"Hey, speaking of the devil, do you think we should check on him? I mean, make sure he hasn't drowned himself in liquor?" I proposed.

Peeta smiled. "We can tell him the news," He gestured towards my belly. "I bet he'll be begging to babysit."

I smiled at the thought of Haymitch chasing around a little laughing toddler. One with dark Seam hair and vibrant blue eyes.

Half an hour later, we both crawl into bed, turning out the lights on the way. Blackness enfolds the room; with a stream of pearly white coming through the window Peeta insists we keep open.

I snuggle into Peeta's arms, resting my head on his shoulder and placing my hands on his strong chest. A few agonizing minutes of silence passed until I broke it.

"Peeta, what happened to Gale?" I asked out of curiosity.

I heard him suck in a breath. I held him closer in response.

"Well, when you blacked out, I kind of tackled him." I smiled into his neck as he said this. "Then, I guess Haymitch heard or something, because he came in and grabbed Gale and dragged him out the door, so that I could take care of you."

I tried to picture it in my mind, and I laughed out loud when I pictured Haymitch dragging a squirming Gale by the collar.

"What are you laughing about?" Peeta smiled, obviously happy to see me happy.

"Just... Haymitch and his perfect timing. Anyways, do you know where he is now?" I asked.

Peeta sucked in another breath. "He… he's living in the house next to Haymitch's." My face must've been getting a scared look, because Peeta quickly continued. "But Haymitch is keeping an eye on him. He says he's ready to attack at any given moment."

"When did he tell you all of this?"

"When you were knocked out at the hospital," he said. "Apparently, Gale wanted to come into your room as well, but Haymitch answered that request with a punch to the jaw."

I smiled into his neck again. "I have a few things to thank Haymitch for, then, don't I?"

At around 12:00am, I woke up screaming Peeta's name. It was the first nightmare I'd had in months, and the most frightening I could remember. Peeta instantly had his arms around me, stroking my hair.

Once I regained composure, I turned to him. "Did I wake you?" I asked.

He shook his head. "No, I was already awake. I was actually debating on whether to go on a walk. Would you like to come?"

I nodded gratefully and slipped out of bed. I pulled on my shoes, and decided to leave my coat. It was the middle of August, and in District 12, summer nights got up to ninety-five degrees.

We walked out the house and into the Victor's Village circle. I glanced over to the house that Gale was supposedly staying in, and to my surprise, the light was on, and staring out the window with a death glare painted onto his face was Gale. What the hell? He was stalking us now? Peeta followed my gaze and when he saw what I had been looking at, he wrapped and arm around my waist and pulled me closer to him, a frown planted on his face.

We walked out of the Village and towards the meadow. A warm summer breeze wrapped itself around us, making the night seem more humid than it really was.

We reached the meadow, and sat down on the dry grass. Peeta interlaced our fingers, and we took a moment to enjoy it. This moment was perfect. I felt so at peace, like I could do anything. My thoughts were interrupted by Peeta.

"Katniss? There's something that I've been meaning to ask you…" He pulled us both up to our feet.

"What is it?" I asked softly.

He took my hand in his, and blue met grey. His eyes were flooded with a look of nervousness. He gulped and continued. "Katniss, I love you more than anything, and I'd do anything to protect you. You make me the happiest man on Earth, and I couldn't imagine another day without you. You and I, we've been through so much together, and we understand each other more than anyone else. I want to spend the rest of my life with you." He began lowering his body until he had one knee on the ground. I let out a small gasp as I realized what he was doing. He fished in his pocket and pulled out a little green velvet box. He opened it to reveal a ring. It had a golden band, and on it was a pearl. I let out another gasp when I realized that it was my pearl.

"Katniss Everdeen, will you marry me?"

A huge smile slid onto my face and a tear of joy escaped the corner of my eye.

"Yes! Yes Peeta, I will marry you!" I pulled him up and kissed him on the lips, because Peeta Mellark had just proposed to me in the meadow in the middle of the night while in our pajamas. And I said yes.

When we broke apart, he slipped the ring from the box and onto my finger. I held my hand up to inspect it better, and take a closer look at the ring. Sure enough, it was my pearl, but I didn't really care how he got a hold of it.

"Look at the other side," Peeta whispered. I flipped over my hand and looked at the golden band closely.

Inscribed in the metal was one word.

_Always_

**A/N: Hey guess what? You're gunna get to decide the gender of the babies! I'm going to set up a poll and you guys will get to go on my profile and vote on what you want the babies genders to be. The choices will be two boys, two girls, or one girl and one boy. So make sure to vote as soon as that's up! :D**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Hello my lovelies! So, by the look of the poll about the gender, it looks like it's going to be one girl and one boy. So far, there are 13 votes for one boy and one girl, and two votes for two girls. I'm keeping the poll up until I write the chapter announcing the genders. And so if until then one boy and one girl is still winning, I am going to make the boy the child with down syndrome symptoms because of a special request in a review. See, I DO read them! :D And I ALWAYS try to think of a way to incorporate the ideas you tell me in the reviews, because that's how much I love you all! And just to tell you, I have absolutely NO idea what I'm doing for this chapter, I'm just making it up as I go along. But hey, that's what I do for every chapter! :D Also, this chapter doesn't have a song either, because I started writing it and got halfway through when I realized I had forgotten to pick a song, but I promise next chapter will have one! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games**

"So who do we tell first?" Peeta asked me climbing onto the leather couch next to me with a giddy smile on his face.

I smiled at his excitement. "About what? The babies or the wedding?"

"Both, obviously." He rolled his eyes as if I should've known exactly what he was talking about.

I rolled my eyes at his eye-rolling, which made him laugh. "I guess we should tell Haymitch. I mean, if he's sober of course."

"Alright," Peeta said as he stood up and began making his way to the door.

"Wait, right now?" I asked. "It might be a little weird if we just show up at his house to tell him I'm pregnant and we're engaged. I don't even want to think about what crude jokes he'd make."

Peeta smiled as he realized I was right. "Right. Let's invite him for dinner instead then." He walked over to the phone on the wall and pulled it out of the socket before punching his finger of the little blacks numbers.

"He probably won't pick up," I warned him.

Peeta put the white phone up to his ear and after a couple rings, put the phone back. "So he really did rip his phone out of the wall. Oh, well. I need to go get some things from town anyways, so I can stop at his house and-"

"I want to come with you," I cut him off as I sprung up from the couch.

He raised his eyebrows and smirked. "And why would that be?"

I blushed. "Well, I mean, I haven't seen the town in so long, a-and…"

"C'mon, admit Katniss. You don't want to be alone."

I scowled because he was right.

We put on our coats and shoes and began our trek to town.

"So what do you need to get?" I asked Peeta, slipping my hand into his own.

"Well, if Haymitch is coming over, then we should probably get something to cook tonight. And then I just need some more paints."

As we strode through town, I couldn't help noticing how new everything had become. I was too busy to notice when I first returned to Twelve, but now I saw how all of the decaying wood of the stands in the market had been replaced with a gleaming fresh oak wood, and how coal dust didn't coat everything in sight. It looked more organized, cleaner.

We stopped at the butchers and bought some turkey for tonight after stopping at the crafts store for Peeta's paints. We walked back to Victor's Village and made our way to Haymitch's front.

"I hope he's still alive," Peeta commented. I snorted. I wouldn't be surprised if he wasn't.

I knocked on the door, but after two minutes of standing there on his beaten up porch with no answer, I just pushed through the unlocked door. As I predicted, my eyes met Haymitch's passed out figure. He was lying on his stomach on the coffee table in the living room with his arms and head falling off one edge of the table and his legs falling off the other.

I took a step closer to him, but instantly recoiled as a disgusting stench hit me. That's when I noticed how absolutely revolting his house was. Patches of liquor-stained carpet could be seen here and there, but other than that, the floor was covered in bottles and trash. I think I even saw a rat sneak off from underneath the layer of trash.

"Ugh, HAYMITCH!" I yelled, my face scrunching up at the absolute revoltingness of it all. I forced myself to walk on my toes through the wasteland to where Haymitch lay unconscious. I reached out to hit him or something, but instantly thought better when I saw his clothes. I let out a sigh of frustration. "Peeta, could you go get me a pitcher of cold water for me please," I asked as I turned around to look at him, who was still standing next to the door.

He fled to kitchen, and came back a minute later with what I had asked for. I grabbed the handle of the pitcher and opened the lid before dumping the water on Haymitch without a second thought. Almost immediately, he sprung up from the table, a knife clenched in his fist as he waved it around. I shrieked and jumped back. I had forgotten about the knife he always slept with.

He calmed down, and his eyes landed on me. "Oh, well look who it is," he chuckled. At least he wasn't drunk. I just shook my head.

"Haymitch, when was the last time you actually ate?" I asked him.

He scoffed. "I don't know. I think I had a bagel this morning… or was that last week?"

Peeta walked up next to me and stood behind Haymitch, beginning to push him out the door. "C'mon, you big drunk. You need to get some food in you before you finally die."

Haymitch just grunted and followed us out the door.

Half an hour later, all three of us are sitting around the kitchen table, turkey on our plates. Haymitch began shoveling the food into his mouth right away and ended up creating a huge mess that we'd have to clean later.

Peeta looked at me, with an amused look on his face, obviously because of Haymitch's eating. I smirked back.

"Quit it, you two, with the eye thing," Haymitch growled.

I turned back to him. "What are you talking about?"

Haymitch rolled his eyes. "I'm talking about that whole little conversation you can have with your eyes, both of you. It makes me feel excluded. I personally don't know how you do it at all."

"I don't know," Peeta began. "We don't really have to try and think the same thoughts, we just do. We can read each other's minds, just from our eyes I guess."

I smiled. It sounded so cliché but it was so true. Then I remembered about why we had invited Haymitch over at all.

"I almost forgot. Haymitch, we have some news to tell you," I announced. My smile grew wider and I continued, "We're getting married!"

Haymitch scoffed. "Well it's 'bout time, I'd say! I would've been worried if you had those babies there without getting married first."

That's right, he already knew about the babies.

"Haymitch, what's the… the situation with… Gale?" It was a question I had been dying to ask, but I was still nervous to hear the answer.

"Oh, that little prude? Well, first of all, I had to drag him to another victor's house while he kicked and screamed like a two-year old. Then I kind of just threw him through the door and locked it from the outside so he couldn't come out and try to assault you again."

"I didn't know these houses could lock from the outside," I stated.

Haymitch chuckled. "Well, they do now. Don't worry though, he has food and water in the house I locked him up in."

I didn't want to know what exactly Haymitch had done, so I just shook my head and went back to my dinner.

**A/N: Yeah, I know. Crappy ending for this chapter. Oh well, you'll live :) **

**Ok so story time. Yesterday I was at school, and tons of people in my grade have a FaceBook. I don't. So my friend Carley and I are talking, and here was our conversation:**

**Carley: Hey, do you have a FaceBook Sophie?**

**Me: No… I have a FANFICTION!**

**She gave me a funny look when I said that :P **


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: I'm on the brink of tears right now. **

**Do you know why? Probably not. Well, let me enlighten you.**

**I just finished this book called King of Shadows, and it was SO FREAKING AMAZING. For all of my fellow teens out there who have read this book, you're probably thinking, who is this Shakespeare geek who likes the one of the most boring books ever? Well, it was kind of dragged in the middle, but I nearly cried at the ending, and that's saying something, since I NEVER cry. I haven't cried since the Hunger Games premiere. **

**So for all my fellow actors and actresses, read this book. Even if you're not, read it anyway.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games *insert funny disclaimer joke here***

**Oh, and P.S. Finnick and Prim never died :D**

A week after our dinner with Haymitch, my stomach was already more noticeable. At first I was alarmed. Most women wouldn't be this big already! Peeta convinced me that it was just because I had two babies inside of me instead of one, and if he was right, I was not looking forward to lugging around a huge stomach in month eight or nine.

When we had called Annie and told her the news, she was extremely excited. She ranted on about how happy she was about the fact that Peeta and I were able to move on and I was able to get pregnant. It took us a whole five minutes for us to shut her up, but really, her excitement gave me a happy feeling. It made me more excited for the actual birth. If someone was convinced that it was a good thing, then it must be. Right?

Peeta had tried to convince me to tell my mother, but I really didn't want to. She knew that I had gone off and married Gale, and if I called her and told her I was pregnant with Peeta's kid, (or kids, as I should say) she might get the wrong message. Peeta managed to guilt me into saying yes by saying that I was lucky to have a mother, but I haven't quite gotten around to yet. Until this morning, when he cornered me.

"Katniss, please, just call her for Pete's sake," he begged me. We were eating a hearty breakfast of eggs and bacon, and I was still a bit woozy from this morning's trip to the toilet. To vomit of course.

"But why, Peeta?"

"Because you still actually have a mother," he pointed out.

That was a hit to the gut. Guilt overflowed me as I remembered that Peeta didn't even have anyone to call family. Yet. Our wedding was soon to come.

"You're right, Peeta. I'm being selfish. I'm sorry."

He just smiled a sad smile and said, "You have to apologize for everything, don't you?"

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"Hello?" I heard the crackly voice of my mother come out of the phone.

"Hi… mom," I replied awkwardly.

"Katniss? Katniss, is that you?"

"Yeah…"

"Oh, Katniss. I'm so sorry I never called," she apologized. "Are you in Two, with Gale still?"

"Uh, no. I… decided he wasn't right for me. Let's just say, he didn't treat me too well. I came back to Twelve. I'm living in Victor's Village now with Haymitch… and Peeta." I cleared my throat and quickly changed the subject. "So how's Prim?" When Gale told me we'd live in Two and I found out Mother and Prim were going to Four, I tried to convince Gale to go to Four, but he insisted we go to Two. And when we established ourselves in Two, he hardly ever let me call them at all, let alone visit.

"Oh, we're great. We both got nursing jobs in the hospital here, and it's really great. I was thinking we could come visit you in Twelve sometime. How does that sound?"

"Yeah, that would be great." The words escaped my mouth before I could think about. "But first, before you go, I have some… news I want to tell you." I cleared my throat before continuing. "I'm… engaged. To Peeta."

Silence was all I heard on the other end. It felt like molases had jammed itself in my throat and sound refused to escape my throat. Was she dissapointed that I had changed my mind on who I loved so quickly? Was she angry? Or sad?

"What about Gale?" Mother asked, breaking the silence.

"I told you, he didn't treat me well."

"How? I mean, I know Gale, it couldn't have been so bad that you divorced."

I shuddered. "I really don't want to relive it."

"Katniss, I don't like that you just left him. Did you talk to him about it?"

I really didn't like where she was going with this. Why was she defending Gale? "When I tried to, he hurt more than just my myself." I placed a hand on my ever-growing abdomen, remembering when he had just shown up at my door and attacked me and my soon-to-be children. "But enough about Gale, I have some more news."

"What is it?" she asked, somewhat with a dissapointed tone.

I gulped down my fear. I decided in my mind that I had to tell her sooner or later, so I might as well get it over with. "I'm-"

I was about to say the word 'pregnant' when I felt two strong arms wrap around my waist from behind, making me sqeal in surprise.

"Katniss? Katniss are you alright?" my mother shrieked through the phone. I laughed.

"Don't worry, I'm fine." I felt Peeta kissing the bottom of my neck before I swatted him away. "Not now, Peeta!" I whispered while moving the phone away from my mouth, but I couldn't help smiling. "I'm on the phone with my mother."

He smiled. "Have you told her yet?" he asked, before placing a hand on my abdomen and looking at it lovingly.

"I was about to, before you rudely interrupted me!"

He just stuck out his tongue like a little kid at me before going into the kitchen. I rolled my eyes before bringing the phone up again. "Sorry about that," I said. Then, I got an idea. "Hey, is Prim there?" If I told both of them at the same time, maybe it wouldn't be so awkward.

"Yeah, I'll put the phone on speaker so that we can both talk to you." I heard some shuffling before an excited sqeal shot through my ear.

"Katniss!" Prim sqealed though the phone.

"Hey, little duck!" I greeted with a smile. "How are you? I heard you got a job at the hospital."

"I did, and it's so great! I get to talk to the patients there, and they tell me the best stories ."

"That's awesome, Prim," I replied, and I meant it. "There's been some, uh, interesting things going on here as well."

"Mom told me you went back to Twelve. Did they rebuild it?" she asked.

"Yeah, it looks a lot better now. There isn't coal dust everywhere anymore."

"So Katniss, what's this news that you wanted to tell us?" Mother asked more eagerly than before.

"Oh yeah," I gulped. "Peeta and I, we're, um… expecting. Twins."

"Oh my god! This is amazing!" I heard Prim shout happily. "I'm going to be an aunt!"

The thought surprised me. Little Prim was going to be an aunt, but I guess she wasn't so little anymore, actually. She was seventeen already. It was hard to believe.

"Can we come visit you, Katniss?" Prim asked excitedly.

"Of course," I replied.

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The next day, while Peeta and I were eating dinner, the phone rang. Peeta was in the bathroom, so I answered it of course.

"Hello?" I said into the phone.

I waited a couple seconds, before saying it again. "Hello?"

"This isn't over yet, Katniss," I heard a man's voice say. A chill ran down my spine and I sucked in a breath. No, it couldn't be…

"I'm coming Katniss, and I'm already closer than you think."

My trembling finger found the end call button, and and the phone slipped out of my hand and fell to the floor with a thump. I was suddenly choking on air. I coughed and spluttered, and after egaining myself, I remembered the voice on the other end. My knees hit the floor, and my hands gripped a fistful of carpet. No no no no no no….

I clenched my eyes shut, and my whole body began trembling. I heard someone say my name somewhere far away before a warmth enfolded me. I opened my eyes the tiniest bit and saw Peeta sitting there in front of me, with a worried look on his face. He moved towards me and lifted me up, carrying me to the couch. After sitting me down, he sat down next to me and pulled me towards him, wrapping his arms around me as I buried my head into his chest.

"Katniss, what happened?" Peeta asked with a soothing voice.

"The-the phone. It rang and I answered." I was about to continue when a knock on the door interrupted me. I stiffened, and when Peeta bagn to untangle himself from around me to answer it, I gripped his arm and shrieked, "No, please don't answer! What if it's him?"

"Shh, Katniss don't worry. I'm not going to let anyone hurt you or the babies," he replied softly. He pried his arm from my grip and went to the door. I shrunk back into the couch as he opened the door, and instantly relaxed when I heard him say, "Ms. Everdeen, Prim. We weren't expecting to see you two so early." He gave them a warm smile. "Come in."

I saw Prim and Mother walk through the doorway, and each of them gave Peeta a hug. They then turned to me sitting on the couch. They immidietly knew something was wrong, even though there were no tears to prove it. Prim immidietly ran to my side and gripped my hand. "Katniss, what's wrong?"

Peeta came over and retook his spot next to me. "I'm not sure," he said. "She was just about to tell me."

Mother came over and sat on the armchair next to the couch, and I realized that I was going to have to tell all of them what happened. I looked at Peeta, and he immidietly knew what I was thinking.

"You can tell us Katniss," he said soothingly. "We just want to help."

I gave a tiny nod and took a deep breath before telling them what happened. "We were having dinner, a-and Peeta was in the bathroom. The phone rang so I answered. I-it was a man on the other end, and h-he said that it wasn't over and that he was c-coming for me."

Peeta's eyes widened and he grabbed my other hand worridely. "Did you recognise the voice?"

I nodded.

"Who was it?" Prim asked softly.

I took another deep breath before answering.

"Gale."

**I'm sooooo sorry! I haven't updated in forever, but I have an excuse. I wrote have of this chapter, and then my laptop broke. The Chinese put a virus on it, actually. So I had to get a new laptop, and my dad had to install Word on it. So I made this chapter extra long, to make up for the wait. Also, for the whole "every chapter based on a different song", well I decided to stop doing that, because it was great way to set a base for the story, but now that the plot is developing, there aren't going to be songs to match what happens. **

**Have you guys seen the new review button? Don't you just want click it and leave a review?**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Sup people! WHAT TIME IS IT? IT'S SUMMER TIME; IT'S OUR VACATION! YA! Haha lol I love that movie…**

**IMPORTANAT! IMPORTANT! IMPORTANT! Ok so I'm leaving for a five week vacation on Friday, so I won't be able to update in those five weeks since I won't be able to use internet in Europe. BUT, I'm bringing my laptop with me, so I'll still be able to use Microsoft word when I'm there. So I'll write you guys up a ton of chapters when I'm there, but I won't be able to post them till I come back.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything to do with the Hunger Games. All credit belongs to Suzanne Collins.**

"Gale?" Prim asks with a questioned look.

Peeta tightens his hold on me at the very sound of the word. "What do you think he meant, Katniss?" Peeta asks, trying to take on a soothing tone, but I can still hear the anger that has made its way into his voice.

"I-I don't know," I stuttered, hugging my arms to my belly. "I think he's going to try and hurt the babies again."

Prim placed a hand to my knee and gave me a sympathetic look. I gave my younger sister a smile and then leaned down to wrap my arms around her. She sat up so that she was on the couch next to me.

"I missed you Prim," I whispered into her hair.

"I missed you too Katniss," she replied before pulling away. "And we're not going to let anyone hurt you _or _the babies." She looked down at my stomach. "I can't believe I'm going to be an aunt!"

I looked down at my sister. At 17, she was still so innocent and full of joy.

Suddenly, the door burst open and hit the wall with a bang. I immediately sunk down into the couch cushions and put a pillow in front of my face.

I heard Peeta laughing beside me. "Katniss, it's ok," he said. I slowly removed the pillow and instantly relaxed when I saw Finnick and Annie standing near the door, and toddler who couldn't possibly be over the age of four in Annie's arms.

"You guys were having a party without us? I thought we were friends!" Finnick bellowed, faking exasperation.

I laughed. Finnick could always cheer me up.

Annie shoved the sleeping toddler into Finnick's arms before rushing over and crushing me into a hug.

"Katniss, this is so exciting!" she squealed once she had released me. "You're getting married _and _expecting twins! We have so many arrangements to make for the wedding! We'll have to call Johanna," she rambled, already pulling her phone out of her pocket and dialing the number.

"Woah, Annie! Calm down Sweetheart!" Finnick said, coming over and placing a tanned hand on her arm.

"Oh, shut up Finnie," Annie said, not taking her eyes off the little phone.

Finnick dramatically put a hand over his heart and faked a gasp as the little toddler in his arms awoke. "Did you hear that, Jace?" he said dramatically, looking down at the toddler he called Jace. "Your mother just told me to shut up! This is an outrage!"Finnick fake-ranted. The toddler blinked before he burst into little giggles. "Oh, so you think this is funny," Finnick smiled down at his son.

Prim bounced off the couch and bounded over to Finnick. "He's so cute!" she squealed as she gazed down at the toddler. She gave him a little wave. "Hi Jace!"

He smiled back at her and sat up in his father's arms. "Hi!" he replied in a high pitch squeal.

I stood up and walked over next to Prim to get a closer look at Jace. He had his father's red curls but his eyes were identical to his mother's. The rest of his face was a mixture of both parents, and he was absolutely beautiful.

"Hi there, Jace," I said quietly, looking down at him.

"Hi!" he sqealed again, giving me a toothy grin.

I chuckled. "You're a very handsome boy, you know. Just like your Daddy."

He gave a little giggle. "I know," he said in his toddler voice. That sent us all in hysterics. Jace didn't understand why we were laughing, but obviously wanted to do it too, because he joined us with his little toddler giggles and squeals. "Momma tells me that always," he continued.

"Well, can't say I'm surprised by his good looks," Finnick commented. I raised an eyebrow at him. "He is related to me, after all."

I just chuckled and shook my head.

"Put me down Dadda!" Jace demanded, looking up at his father. Finnick put a hand to his forehead and faked a salute.

"On your command, officer Jace!" he said and he knelt down and placed him on the carpet. Jace immediately pushed himself off the ground and began walking over to where Peeta sat on the couch, smiling at the whole interaction.

"Who are you?" Jace asked Peeta once he was standing at Peeta's feet.

Peeta slipped down from the couch onto the floor onto his knees so that he was eye level with Jace. "Hey there, buddy. I'm Peeta, like the bread."

That made Jace chuckle, but then he squealed, "Hi Peeta!"

I sighed a happy sigh. I couldn't wait to have my own child. I almost laughed at myself. A few years ago, I would've never thought that.

We set up the guest room for Mother and Prim, and the Odair family decided to use the empty house next to our house, which actually used to be Peeta's house before we began living together.

That night, we all had dinner together in our house. Prim insisted that she help Peeta prepare a special dinner, and he was more than happy to comply. I sat in the kitchen and we all talked about what had been going on in our lives as they cooked. Prim told me Hazelle, Rory, Vick, and Posy had all moved to District Four with them, and she had just gone on her first date with Rory as soon as I told her Gale and I weren't married anymore. Now that Rory wasn't Prim's brother-in-law, it would be appropriate for them to date.

As Prim was explaining she and Rory had done on their date, Mother entered the kitchen.

"Katniss, can I speak to you upstairs?" she asked me politely.

"Yeah, sure," I replied. As I followed my mother out of the kitchen, I saw Finnick and Annie reading Jace a picture book in the living room. I smiled at the scene.

Mother led me into her room before closing the door behind her.

"What did you want to talk to me about?" I asked her.

She sighed before telling me. "I want to talk to you about the marriage. I'm not completely satisfied."

**A/N: Gotta stop here, sorry! But guys, OMG! This story has 212 reviews! And this is only, like, chapter 10 I think! That's about 21 reviews **_**per chapter**_**. CELEBRATION!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games **

**A/N: :)**

_Italics= what happened last chapter_

_She sighed before telling me. "I want to talk to you about the marriage. I'm not completely satisfied."_

"Wait, what?" I sputtered.

She sighed again. "I don't think its ok for you to leave your legal husband to run off with another man."

Well, when she put like that it sounded horrible. "But it's not like that!" I exclaimed. "It's not… it's just that… well…" I didn't know how to explain it; I had never been good with words like Peeta.

"I mean it, Katniss!" she said. "And you can't do the wedding without my blessing," she pointed out.

I scoffed. "First of all, I don't need anyone's _blessing_ to do what I want. And second, traditionally, it's the father's blessing that I need. And since he's not with us, I think of Haymitch as _my_ father, and he gave us his blessing a long time ago," I snapped.

The air seemed to grow cold when my mother replied, "I'm not going to stand by and watch this happen."

I was getting angry. "But that's all you ever done!" I shouted. "All you've ever done was stand by and watch! I had to take care of all three of us for five stupid years, with no help from you! I can take care of myself, I don't need you!"

She gaped at me. "I'm your mother, and you will obey me," she stuttered lamely.

I could feel tears begin to well up in my eyes, like tiny soldiers preparing to storm out onto the battlefield. My emotions were on overdrive because of the pregnancy. I looked down at my chipped fingernails that I always let grow too long before cutting.

"This always happens, you know," I said in a trembling voice. "There's always someone who wants to get in my way." I looked up. "First it was Snow, then Coin, then Gale, and now you too. That'll teach me to think life can finally be happy."

I think my mother was about to respond, but a voice behind me interrupted her.

"Katniss, there's someone on the phone for you," I heard Annie's soft voice say. I turned around, and I guess my eyes must've been red or watery, because she said, "Oh, Katniss, what happened?"

I was about to respond with sarcastic comment about my mother, but as soon as I opened my mouth, the tears broke loose. They streamed down my face like a never ending river.

Without saying anything, Annie wrapped her arms around my shoulders and led me towards the kitchen, completely ignoring my mother the whole time.

As soon as I entered the kitchen, I was swarmed by people. Finnick had obviously been telling a joke and held a playful smirk, but when he saw my distraught state, his face fell. Little Jace sitting on the table began whimpering, sensing that something was wrong. Prim took my hand and asked me what happened in a soothing tone. But it was Peeta's arms which I fell into. He wrapped his arms around my back and pulled me into him. I placed my hands on his chest rested my head in the crook of his neck. He brought a hand up and stroked my hair, whispering soothing somethings into my ear.

Somewhere in the back of my mind, a little voice was screaming that I was being weak and that I couldn't break down at everything. But I ignored it, telling myself that the hormones were going crazy, and allowed myself to put myself in the hands of those I loved.

"Shhh," Peeta whispered. "It's ok. You're ok. I won't let anyone hurt you."

"I know," I sniffled. "I love you."

"I love you too, and don't you forget it," he replied.

He led me over to the table and placed me in the chair. I involuntarily placed my hands on top of my ever-growing belly, which was becoming a nice hand rest. Peeta crouched in front of me and wiped the tears from my cheeks with his thumbs, taking my face in his strong hands.

I was expecting him to ask what happened, but instead, he surprised me. "You don't have to tell me now," he told me in a soft voice. "Tell me when you're ready, ok?"

I nodded, thankful for my Peeta. A voice in the doorway of the kitchen interrupted my thoughts.

"Prim, we're leaving," my mother's hard voice said.

"What happened to 'not letting this happen', huh?" I replied with a sharp edge to my tone. "Have you finally realized after three years of watching me fight for my life that I don't let anyone tell me what to do?"

She gave me glare, and without taking her eyes off of me, said, "Prim, go pack your things, we're leaving."

"No, I want to stay here," Prim replied cautiously from her seat next to me. "This is our home. And anyways, Rory… told me he wanted to move here… and I told him I would come with him."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Mother exclaimed.

Prim bit her lip guiltily. "I thought that after we came here and visited Katniss, we would decide to stay anyways."

My mother stood there speechless. I could always count on Prim to be on my side.

"Fine," she said after a while, and walked straight out the door without saying another word.

I stood up and turned to Annie. "You said there was someone on the phone for me?"

"Yeah…" she replied, looking to Peeta.

"It was Dr. Krolen. She wanted to speak to you," he finished for her.

Annie picked up the phone from where it lied on the granite counter and handed it to me.

"Hello?" I said into the receiver. I wouldn't be surprised if Dr. Krolen had hung up after having to wait so long.

"Hello, Ms. Everdeen. It's Dr. Krolen," I heard her say.

"Hi," I replied.

"I was just calling to ask when you wanted to schedule your next ultrasound. Most women do it monthly, but whatever works best for you," she informed me.

I shrugged, even though I knew she couldn't see the gesture. "Monthly is fine, whatever you think is best."

"Alright then," I could hear her scribble something down with a pen. "I'm going to schedule you for this Saturday, just because I want to talk to you and Mr. Mellark about something."

I thought it was peculiar that she couldn't tell me over the phone, but I let it go, telling myself that Saturday would come soon enough.

"Yes, Saturday works fine for us," I told her.

"Alright, I'll see you then. Make sure Mr. Mellark comes with you, though," she said.

I gave a chuckle. "Oh, don't worry; he wouldn't miss it for the world."

**A/N: I forgot to mention this,** **but if I write anything that's scientifically incorrect concerning the pregnancy, just tell me in a review or PM and I'll change it the best I can. Like, if I get the timing wrong of when they would know the genders or when they can get pictures or stuff like that. I've obviously never experienced it, so I wouldn't know! :P**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Sorry I haven't updated in like forever! But I'm going to try to make this a long one to make up for it. Also, I just went through the story, and we are at seven weeks through the pregnancy, correct? Tell me if I'm wrong**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games.**

**Also, a response to an anonymous reviewer who asked what grade I was in, who went by the name of **_**Me: **_**I turned 13 fairly recently, and I'm going into the eighth grade this fall, which will be the year I graduate :)**

After the phone call, Finnick and Annie leave to go next door, into a victor's house that isn't occupied. Prim, of course, stays with us, although she says that Rory is coming to District Twelve tomorrow, and she wants to stay with him in the house next to Finnick and Annie's. When she first told me this, I was a bit suspicious. It would be just the two of them living in a big house. Both Prim and Peeta noticed, because Prim assured me that she just didn't want Rory to get lonely and besides, they were only two doors down.

When Prim left the room, Peeta told me he would have a 'talk' with Rory. This made me laugh.

"Now, what would you two ladies like for dinner?" Peeta asked as Prim and I sat on the couch and he plopped down on the armchair across from us.

I was suddenly exhausted. "I think I might skip dinner. I suddenly really tired," I explained.

Peeta looked at me with a concerned face and I just shrugged. "But you have to eat _something," _Peeta insisted.

Just as the random fatigue had occurred, I had an overwhelming craving for bacon. Yes, bacon.

"I want some bacon, then," I said bluntly. This made Peeta raise his eyebrows. The first morning I came back to Twelve Peeta offered me some bacon to try for breakfast, but I immediately hated it as soon as it entered my mouth.

"_Bacon?" _Peeta asks, astonished. I just nod. "But I thought you hated bacon?"

I'm about to answer when Prim starts laughing with a knowing grin on her face.

I raise my eyebrows. "What're you laughing at, Little Duck?" I ask, confused by her actions.

"The cravings are starting! From the pregnancy!" she replies. I blush and Peeta chuckles. Prim then turns to him. "I wouldn't laugh Peeta, this is just the beginning!" Peeta raises his eyebrows and shakes his head, obviously astonished by Prim's knowledge of these things.

A half hour later, Peeta has prepared two plated of ravioli and one plate of steaming hot bacon, which I attack.

"Whoa there, Katniss," Peeta says, puts his hands on my shoulders from behind.

"Oh, shut up, Peeta," I reply, not much unlike how Annie did today to Finnick.

In a matter of minutes, I've cleaned off the whole plate, right down to the last crumb, and fatigue retakes me.

"I'm going up to bed, okay?" I say, getting up from my seat and making my way to the stairs.

I change into my pajamas once I'm in our room, too tired to take a shower. I guess I'll just take one tomorrow.

As I'm brushing my teeth, a memory slams into my mind.

'_This isn't over.'_ These words repeat in my mind, sending chills down my spine as I remember the owner of the words. Gale. Who knows what he's up to?

Out of the corner of my eye, I see a shadow flick past the window. I freeze and my toothbrush drops out of my hand, landing with a clink onto the tiled floor.

I slowly turn around and make my way to the window, my hands ready to fight if I have to. I keep going until I'm right in front of the window. I peer out of the window, and instantly relax. It was only a mockingjay, which now sits on a tree branch right outside the window, its head cocked to the sight as if imitating a look of expectance.

I pull the window up, letting the fresh air rush into the room. I take a deep breath, and realize I haven't been out in ages. I make a mental to-do to go out to the woods tomorrow. Not to hunt, of course, since I'm obviously not in shape to do so.

I whistle out Rue's four notes. The bird quickly repeats, happy that I've finally provided a tune for it. It stares back at me afterwards, waiting for another tune.

I look behind me, making sure that Peeta or Prim isn't coming up the stairs, before turning back to the bird. I begin singing the lullaby I sang to Rue, the song coming back to me like an old memory that was just waiting to be remembered.

I finish the first verse, and the mockingjay begins singing out the tune. I grin, just staring at the bird. Seeing a mockingjay should probably make me upset; remind me of a time where I was weak. But it doesn't. I actually find comfort in it, to be honest.

I nearly jump out of my skin when I feel two arms wrap around my waist from behind, the hands resting on my abdomen.

"You're amazing," I hear Peeta whisper in my ear.

How'd he make it across the room so soundlessly? I guess I was really focusing on the bird.

"I didn't mean for you to hear that," I mumble. I'm always self-conscious when it comes to my singing.

"Well I did, and there's nothing you can do about it," he grins, sticking his tongue out at me like a little kid.

I roll my eyes. "Whatever Peeta I'm tired."

I wiggle out of his embrace and crawl into bed, but not before closing the window. My mind still doesn't want to believe that the shadow was just a bird.

Peeta quickly changes into his pajamas and brushes his teeth before climbing in to bed. I settle my head down on the pillow and Peeta wraps his arms around me from behind, his hands settling on my abdomen.

I shift slightly, causing Peeta to shift his arms. It sends a ripple of pain through my chest.

"Ouch!" I exclaim.

Peeta immediately sits up, helping me into a sitting position as well. "Oh my god! What's wrong? Did I hurt you? I'm so sorry!" Peeta gushes.

"Peeta its ok," I lift a hand up to stop him talking before continuing. "It's just my chest. It feels really sore." I look up at him. "But I think it's just one of the physical symptoms of the pregnancy. Prim mentioned something like that before."

His face visibly relaxes. "Oh, ok. I can get you some painkillers," he suggests, swinging his legs off the bed. I grab his shoulder.

"No, it's ok. If it gets unbearable I can just get up in the middle of the night," I assure him. He nods and we lay back down.

We assume our position before, except Peeta now has only one arm swung over my waist from behind, in case I need to get up in the middle of the night.

The only thought that entered my mind before I fell into a deep sleep was that if this was just the beginning, I was heading towards a crappy seven months.

**A/N: Yes, yes, I know. This chapter is extremely uneventful and I'm probably not going to get a lot of reviews, but this chapter was sort of supposed to introduce all those lovely pregnancy symptoms. :) But anyways, WOW! I can't believe the number of reviews this story has! Like 265 or something! This story has two less chapters than my other story, but already 100 more reviews! Wow! Thank you so much to my faithful reviewers! You won't go unmentioned, though! At the end of the story I'm going to have this thing called 'review awards', which are like shout outs to special reviewers. :D**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Credit to ****nicolee1999**** for the hilarious idea she suggested for this chapter :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games.**

Peeta's POV

I carefully wrap my arm around Katniss' waist, right underneath her growing abdomen, grazing my fingers on the bottom of the bump. It's not long before I fall into a peaceful sleep, and pushed into a dream:

_I'm lying in bed in our house in Victor's Village, with Katniss snuggled up against my chest as usual. It feels like any other morning, except there's a new sound. The sound of a baby's crying._

_I abruptly sit up in bed, wondering where this sound could be coming from. I see Katniss wake up as well besides me, and groan when she hears the crying. _

"_I'll go check on the baby," I hear her singsong voice say and feel her hand rest on my shoulder as I begin swinging my legs out of bed. She gives me a tired smile. "You do it every night."_

_I'm confused by what she says. Baby? What? She's supposed to still be pregnant._

_But I just nod instead. She's walking out the door when she turns back and says, "Can you make the twins breakfast in the meantime? I'm pretty sure they're already up." _

_Again, I'm extremely confused, but just nod instead. I wait until she's out of the door before getting out of bed. I walk out into the hallway and see Katniss going towards the left end of the hallway. I try to turn the other way, to find the supposed 'twins', but I can't take my eyes off her. Her hair swishes across her back as she walks, and her narrow hips shift with every stride. I keep staring at her until I hear a giggling sound behind me._

_I spin around and come face to face with two small children, one girl and one boy. The girl has brown hair that she obviously inherited from Katniss, but the boy has my blonde curls, disheveled from just waking up. But that's as far as the differences go. They both have Katniss' petite nose and mouth, and since they're smiling, I can see the two dimples on their cheeks that I can't deny came from me. They both have blue eyes as well, which also have to be mine._

_I suddenly know everything about these two children; their likes, their hobbies, favorite foods, everything. They're both three years old, and I know their names. The girl is Tessa, and the boy is Orion._

_They're still giggling as a smile stretches across my face. "What're you guys laughing about?" I question, squatting down so that I'm eye level with them. _

_Tessa stops giggling for a second to say, "You were staring at Mommy," she teases. I grin._

"_Well, I can't help it," I reply, before standing up again. "C'mon munchkins, time for breakfast."_

_They're running down the stairs before I can finish the sentence. I chuckle._

_Katniss then comes down the hallway, a little pink bundle against her chest. I pull her over to me, wrapping an arm around her waist. I look down to the bundle and see a tiny face, eyes closed and a satisfied grin on her face, snuggled into her mother's chest._

_Katniss and I look up at each other at the same time. "She turns a month old today," Katniss says softly. I reply with a kiss._

"_We sure do make beautiful babies," I tease her once we break apart. _

_She chuckles. "Sure we do Peeta. But I'm putting my foot down this time. We are not having any more babies."_

_I lean in for another kiss when…_

My eyes pop open.

"Peeta," I hear Katniss whisper, shaking my shoulder softly.

"What is it?" I groan, annoyed that I was pulled out of my wonderful dream.

"Can you get me some chocolate?" she asks bluntly, whispering as to not awaken Prim.

I raise my eyebrows, still half asleep, before replying, "What?"

She bites her lip. "My back and chest are kind of sore, and I really want some chocolate. Can you get some for me?"

I stare at her for a second before turning over to look at the clock. "It's two in the morning! Can you just wait until breakfast?" I groan.

"Please?" she pleads.

She knows I can't deny her of anything when she looks at me like that. It doesn't take long for me to let out a sigh as I swing my legs off the bed. I'm halfway across the room before I hear her whisper-call, "Thank you!"

I grunt in reply.

I walk down the stairs and go down to the kitchen. In my half awake state, it takes me a couple tries to find the light switch. But when I do, I almost fall flat on my face when I see who's in the kitchen.

"Hey Peeta. Long time no see," Johanna greets me.

"Wha-? Johanna? What the heck are you doing here?"

"Well, Annie called me to tell me she needed help for planning your wedding. So I came here."

I nod. "Ok, but why are you in my house playing solitaire in my kitchen in the dark at two o'clock in the morning?" I glance down at the game she has set up in front of her on the table.

She sighs. "Well, you see, it's actually a long story. So as soon as I arrived, I went to wear Finnick and Annie were staying, but it was locked. So then I tried Haymitch's house, because I knew he never locked it. But I took one look at the place and just walked right out, because it was just disgusting. After that, I saw that there was another house occupied so I tried that one. But as I was walking up to the door, I saw Gale with his face pressed up against the window, with a cat on his head. I ran as fast as I could. So then I came here," she finishes.

I blink at her.

"How did you get in?" I ask slowly.

"You should really start locking your doors," she replies simply.

I shake my head. "Whatever." I cross the kitchen and grab one of the bars of chocolate that I use sometimes for my baking.

I quickly go back to our room, and see Katniss sitting on the bed. She grins when she sees the chocolate bar in my hand. I make my way over to the bed and she grabs the sweet out of my hand before tearing off the wrapper and proceeding to stuff her mouth with it. I feel a sudden affection towards my pregnant fiancé.

I sit beside her on the bed and wrap my arms around her, one around her back and the other right above her abdomen.

"You're so funny," I tease her.

"I'm pregnant. Deal with it," she replies, not taking her eyes off of the chocolate she's still eating.

I chuckle before nuzzling my nose into her neck, planting small kisses on her neck.

"I love you," I say simply.

"Love you too, Peet," she replies.

"Peet?" I ask, restraining a laugh.

"Well you always call me Kat, so I only thought it was fair," she explains.

I chuckle. "Whatever you say, love."

**A/N: This is another of those really stupid and pointless chapters that 'm going to regret writing tonight. Oh well, I was in a silly mood and wanted some Peeniss fluff. BASK IN THE FLUFFINESS!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games.**

**Katniss' POV:**

My eyes flash open, and I jump out of bed, a hand over my mouth. I cross the room in two strides and fling open the bathroom door. I fall to my knees in front of the toilet and start puking my guts out, grasping onto the sides of the toilet bowl to make sure it all goes into the toilet. It's only a matter of seconds before I feel Peeta pull my hair up with one hand and rub my back with the other. It only makes me throw up even more when I see the chocolate from last night make a reappearance in a much different state. When I'm finally done, I shakily stand back up. I would have fallen flat on my face right there in the bathroom if Peeta hadn't caught me.

He leads me to the sink where I wash my face and hands and rinse my mouth out, desperate to get the vile taste of throw up out of my mouth.

This has been going on for three weeks every morning so far. The doctor told us that most women started morning sickness on the sixth week of pregnancy, but I had started almost two weeks earlier since I had two babies inside of me instead of one.

Yippee.

After that, Peeta and I go down for breakfast. But as soon as I enter the living room, I see Johanna sprawled out on the couch, her arm and leg hanging off the side and head hanging off the arm rest, mouth wide open as she quietly snores.

I have to put a hand over my mouth to stifle my laugh. I look to Peeta for some sort of explanation, but he just shakes his head disapprovingly.

We go into the kitchen, careful not to wake Johanna up. Once we're out of earshot, Peeta turns and grins at me. I start laughing.

"What is she doing here?" I ask.

He rolls his eyes. "It's a long story," he replies. "So what do you want for breakfast?"

"Hmmm…" I say, dramatically placing a finger to my chin. I sit down at the table. "Let's have pancakes."

"Do you want chocolate in them?" he teases, referring to last night.

"Yes," I reply smugly.

He raises his eyebrows. "You know, I was only kidding."

"Please?"

"Fine," he huffs.

I grin.

"Remember, today is our appointment with the doctor," Peeta reminds me.

"Oh yeah," I reply glumly. I wasn't really looking forward to that.

)))))))))((((((((((

An hour later, after we've had breakfast and gotten ready, we bid a just-woken up Johanna goodbye, and head towards the doctor's office.

"We have an 11 o'clock appointment with Dr. Krolen for Katniss Everdeen," Peeta tells the receptionist.

She has us sit down in the waiting room for a few minutes before the nurse calls us in. She leads us down a hallway before opening one of the doors and gesturing for us to go inside. I take a seat on the bed and Peeta sits down in the chair next to it. There's a huge screen on the wall in front of the bed, which I suspect is for the ultrasound.

It's only a minute before Dr. Krolen enters the room.

"Good to see you two again," she greets us, smiling her warm smile. Her blonde hair is twirled up into a bun and her green eyes are lined with a neutral brown line.

"You too," Peeta replies, being his usual polite self.

"Well then," Dr. Krolen begins as she sits on the doctor's chair. "Let's get right to it. But first, there's something I would like to talk to you about something."

She waits for us to nod before continuing. "You see, I contacted some of the doctors in the Capitol about the issue with the babies, and they were also very confused about the dilemma. After a couple days looking through medical files, one proposed that maybe it could have to do something with the Tracker Jacker venom Mr. Mellark was injected with."

At her words, I see Peeta's whole resolve crumble. He tries to maintain a straight face, but I can see it in his eyes. He thinks this is completely his fault. He's going to blame himself for this. I take his hand in mine and give it a light squeeze and the doctor continues.

"What they suggested is that I send them pictures of the ultrasounds and information I get from every visit about the babies, so that they can try to detect what exactly is happening and what we can do to fix it. The doctor's were able to get a hold of the files left in Snow's mansion about Tracker Jacker venom, and there's a high chance that we will be able to expel it before it makes a huge impact," she explains. "And I just wanted to get your ok to send all this information to the Capitol."

As much as I want to say no, I know that I can't. The Capitol is different now, with a new president which I trust, and a new government. "Yes," I reply immediately.

Dr. Krolen smiles. "Well, if that's settled, let's get on with the ultrasound. Katniss, if you could pull your shirt up, please."

I pull my top up to right beneath my breasts, and look over at Peeta. He's still looks in shock.

The doctor spreads a cold goo all over my stomach and places some sort of tube on top. She moves it around, watching the big screen. I see the picture change and crackle. She finally stops, and two small figures come into view. I gasp when I see them. They're so tiny, as big as grapes.

"There they are," the doctor says.

Peeta's head snaps up, still clinging onto my hand. When he sees the two little shapes on the screen, he momentarily forgets about the venom and smiles. I can tell this is all he's ever wanted, to be the father of my children. I've finally been able to grant him that, and I've never been more willing.

The doctor lets go of the rod, and it sticks to the goo so that the picture stays still on the screen. She rolls over to the computer on her chair and begins typing and clicking.

"Alright, so I'm going to print out two copies; one for you guys and for me to send to the Capitol," the doctor explains.

After printing out the pictures, she wipes the goo off of my stomach and hands Peeta the photo.

"Thanks, Dr. Krolen," he says as we exit the room.

She smiles. "Of course."

The whole way home, Peeta has his arm wrapped around my waist and holds the picture of the ultrasound in his other hand, glancing down at him every now and then. I know that he'll be blaming himself later, so I let him have these few minutes of bliss.

When we get home, we find Johanna sitting on the couch flipping through channels on the television.

"Finally!" she exclaims, leaping off the couch. "Where were you guys? I was so lonely."

"We were at the doctor's office," I explain. "For an ultrasound."

"Well did you get a picture?" she asks.

Peeta hands it to her, still grinning from ear to ear.

Johanna examines the picture before grinning and saying, "Look at those little munchkins. Already so big."

She looks up and hands Peeta the picture before turning to me and giving me a hug. At first, I'm caught off-guard, because it's so against Johanna's nature. But I quickly return the hug.

"Congratulations, Katniss," she whispers in my ear. I just nod in reply.

When she releases me from the embrace, she tells us that she was going to go see Finnick and Annie. She says that she's going to stay with them until the wedding, since we already have Prim in our house.

We bid her goodbye and tell her to bring herself and the Odair's over for dinner. Once she's left, Prim comes down the stairs. She knew that we were at the doctor's for the ultrasound, so when she sees the paper in Peeta's hands, she starts running down the stairs squealing, "Let me see! Let me see!"

We show her the picture, and she squeals again. "They're so cute!"

Peeta smiles for the millionth time that day, ecstatic about the picture.

"I have to go though; I'm meeting Rory at the train station." She grins as she says that, a faint blush creeping onto her cheeks.

Once she's left, I flop myself onto the couch, my hands resting on my stomach. Peeta sits beside me, still holding the picture. His smile finally falters, and he puts the picture down and runs a hand through his hair before burying his head in his hands.

"It's my entire fault," I hear him whisper.

I remove his head form his hands and take a hold of his face, forcing him to look at me.

"Peeta, listen to me. None of this is your fault. You didn't ask to be hijacked, it was all Snow. It's Snow's fault," I tell him, staring at his endless blue eyes which have slightly glazed over with tears. "Plus, they're going to find a cure. And if they don't," I say in a whisper. "If they don't, then you'll still love him or her, right? You told me one that it didn't matter if he or she wasn't totally healthy, because he or she would still be beautiful and amazing; perfect."

After a few tedious moments, he nods and pulls me into an embrace. "I promise," he whispers. "I promise, I will."

**And so it has been revealed! The cause for all the impossible happenings: the tracker jacker venom. Weren't expecting that, were you? I figured that they didn't totally explain all the details about the venom, so I figured I would be able to mess around with it, making up would happen to the baby. **


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games.**

That night, everyone comes over for dinner, including Rory, who is exhausted from the long train ride from Four. Peeta grills us some steaks on the grill outside that had come with the house, and we all decide to set up a table outside and enjoy the evening summer breeze while it lasts.

We all catch up with each other, explaining how we've settled down after the war. Throughout the whole meal, though, Prim and Annie keep rambling on about the wedding, which honestly, I haven't really been thinking of. They talk about decorations, food, setting, time, and the dress. I'm dreading having to let them drag me around stores to find 'the perfect one!' as Prim describes it.

After that, nothing much else goes on. Rory and Prim start preparing their new house, and Peeta and I continue the ultrasounds as Dr. Krolen sends information to the Capitol every time. She says that things are becoming less and less unclear and eventually they'll be able to detect what it is that has been transferred to the baby and will be able to create a cure.

A few weeks pass, and at 3 months pregnant, my belly becomes more noticeable, to the point to where bystanders are able to see that I'm pregnant. It becomes a little annoying, because we now have a lot of people from other districts who have decided to live in Twelve, and when they see me, they become ecstatic, rambling on about how great it is I was able to get pregnant again and how they just can't wait for the baby to come.

We come home for the ultrasound and, apparently, it's been confirmed that we are having twins. Dr. Krolen told us that she was able to make the assumption back when I had the incident with Gale because of some new technology that the Capitol was able to provide each district with after the war. She tells us that because of all these new gadgets, we'll be able to know the genders really soon, probably next ultrasound. Peeta is already collecting baby name books, so when he doesn't go to the bakery on his days off, I'll catch him flipping through them, writing down the ones he likes. Then he'll give the list to me and make me circle the ones I like, no matter how many times I tell him that we still have six more months. It's quite cute, actually.

I flop down on the couch, my hair still damp from the shower I took. I don't bother putting it back in a braid since my shoulders feel slightly sore. Peeta is upstairs taking his own shower, so I pick up some book I'm reading off the coffee table and read a couple chapters.

After that, we eat dinner and get into bed like any other usual night. But, to my dismay, it ends up being the most frightening night of my life.

We quickly fall asleep in each other's arms, like usual, but I can't help the feeling that we're being watched. I dismiss the thought, telling myself that I'm just being paranoid. But I can't help but snuggle a little closer into Peeta's arms.

It feels like only a couple minutes until a sound makes my eyes pop open. I shoot up into a sitting position and look at the clock and see that it's only two o'clock in the morning. I look over at Peeta and see that he's still fast asleep. I strain my ears to hear the sound, and sure enough, I can hear footsteps downstairs. I knew that Peeta had been locking the doors every night since we found Johanna in our living room, so I start to panic.

"Peeta!" I whisper, shaking him frantically. It's only a matter of seconds before he wakes up. I clamp my hand over his mouth so he doesn't make any noise. I bring a finger up my lips to indicate he should be quiet and whisper, "There's someone in the house."

He immediately reacts, sitting up and getting out of bed. I follow suit and grab the dagger I had kept near my bed after the incident with Gale. Peeta moves to corner of the room and reaches in a small space behind the closet to grab a metal baseball bat that used to belong to his brother that we had recovered in the rubble of the bakery. It's pretty heavy and he could definitely cause some major head damage with that bat. He motions for me to move behind him and advances towards the door. He quietly opens the door, and I thank the lord that these doors are such good quality so they don't squeak.

Thank god Prim wasn't staying with us tonight, or that would've been a disaster.

Peeta pokes his head out of the doorway, and after making sure that the hallway was ok, he motions for me to follow him. I clutch the knife in my hand and start walking, making sure to stay very close to Peeta.

Luckily, he's being unusually quiet, so whoever is in the house wouldn't be able to hear us. Peeta starts walking down the stairs, the bat raised and ready to attack. He checks behind him every few seconds to make sure I'm still there. Once we make it down the stairs, I can just make out footsteps on the wood patio outside, thanks to my keen sense of hearing after years of hunting. I move behind a wall so that I can just make out four burly men with uniforms. But I can also make out the giant number two plastered on their shoulders. Two… District Two… Gale. My blood boils as I realize Gale is probably somehow part of this.

"Why the hell are we checking outside? That whore is obviously not going to be in the backyard at this time of night!" I hear one of the men's arrogant voice boom out, obviously not worried about whoever hears.

I see Peeta's fists clench tighter around the handle of the bat when he hears the name that they call me. I can tell he just wants to go out there and start bashing that guy's head in, but he can't because it would obviously give our position away and the other three would start chasing after me.

Instead, a light bulb goes off in Peeta's head. He grabs my hand and starts quietly leading me towards the kitchen. He head in the direction of a small door in the kitchen which leads down into the basement. He quietly opens the door, and I am again grateful that these doors don't squeak.

We trod down the cement stairs dusty with age, making sure that we close the door behind us. It's dark, but there is a tiny window in the corner of the room, way up high. The only things we keep in here are some of the things we rescued from the rubble of the bakery, my bow and arrows that I decided would be safer if I kept them in the house instead of in the woods, and Cinna's closet of clothing he had left me. Other than that, the only other thing was the large furnace in the corner, ringing out a low hum. In the corner behind the stairs, there's a small bathroom that I expect to be filled with cobwebs and dust since nobody has ever used it. Peeta quickly hurries me inside of the tiny bathroom, promptly shutting the door behind us. We hide inside the shower, concealed by the darkness falling over us like a thick blanket. If those men found us now, we'd be screwed. We're no match against their burly size and high tech guns with our meager weapons.

We curl into the corner of the bathtub, as if we were trying to melt into the wall. Peeta wraps his arms tightly around me, covering my body with his own. He buries his face in my hair, breathing heavily against my ear. "We'll be ok," he whispers.

Will we?

***Dodges tomatoes* I'M SORRY GEESH! But I just had to end it here. I know you guys are going to be so mad at me for ending it on a cliffy two days before school starts, but that's what writers do. Leave the reader wanting more. Trollol! **

**Hey, any Redditors out there? I just made an account a couple days ago! **


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games. **

My eyes blink open, and I shift my body to get more comfortable, when my hip slams into a hard surface. I look down and see that we're in the basement bathroom, and the memory of the previous night flashes before my eyes. I take in a shaky breath, the muggy scent of the long abandoned toilet making my nose scrunch. I squint my eyes and see the small rays of sunlight streaming in through the tiny window in the corner of the bathroom, poking between crispy brown leaves dried up from the hot summer weather of August.

I feel Peeta shifting beside me, and I turn to him right as his eyes open. He gets a good look at our current situation before his eyes widen and he pulls his arms around me a little tighter.

"Do you know if they're gone yet?" he asks.

"I don't know," I whimper in a whisper.

"I'll go check," he declares, standing up.

I grasp onto his arm from my seat on the floor. "No! They have guns, and all we have is a knife!"

He sighs. "We have no other options. We can't stay down here forever, love," he replies, squatting down in front of me.

He was right. There were no other options. I just didn't want to believe it.

"Alright," I whisper.

"I'll be fine," he says, before planting a reassuring kiss on my forehead. He then picks up the dagger and walks out of the bathroom.

Every second that passes feels like a lifetime. It's probably only been about three minutes until Peeta returns, but when he does, I fling myself at him.

"You're ok, you're ok," I repeat.

"It's safe. They're gone," he informs me. I nod before following him back up.

I gasp when we exit the door of the basement. The whole house has been completely trashed. Shards of glass and smashed vases litter the floor, created a base for flung rags and blankets that once were on the couch or kitchen counter.

Luckily, we are able to get through the mess without getting too many cuts on our feet. Once we make it to the front door, we race over to Annie and Finnick's house.

"Finnick! Annie!" I call, pounding on the door. It's only a few seconds before the door opens, revealing a tired looking Finnick.

"Katniss? Peeta? What are you guys doing here?" he asks.

We explain to him the events of the previous night, before being quickly ushered in.

"We have to call Paylor," Finnick mutters, crossing the threshold to get the phone. We see Annie come down the stairs with Jace in her arms.

She raises her eyebrows, as if asking the same question Finnick asked, before we launch into the same story we told Finnick.

"Oh my," she gasps. "Well don't worry, you guys can stay with us as long as you like."

Peeta glances at me. "Well, we should probably stay with Prim and Rory instead," he begins. "You guys already have Johanna on your hands, right?"

In that exact moment, Johanna appears at the top of the stairs, slumping down them one by one. Her hair is disheveled and sticks up at odd angles, and her face is greasy with oil. She had obviously just woken up.

"Alright, what's the crisis now?" she asks impatiently.

And, yet again, we explain what had happened.

"I'm going to go kill that idiot one of these days," Johanna mutters, referring to Gale.

"Katniss," Finnick calls, poking his head through the door. "Paylor wants to talk to you."

))))))))))((((((((((((

After talking to Paylor, Peeta and I make our way to Prim and Rory's house to ask to use their guest room.

Paylor told us that she'd have a crew of officials go to Two and figure out what was going on, because she hadn't given authorization for any sort of mission in Two.

Peeta knocks on the door, and after a minute, Prim answers.

"Hi guys!" she greets us. "What're you doing here?"

"Hey Prim," I reply, giving her a hug. I then tell her what happened, and explain the dilemma Peeta and I are currently in. "So, we were wondering if it would be ok to use your guest room for a while. Would it be ok?"

"Of course! Oh my god, that's terrible that Gale would do something like that!" Prim exclaims, shaking her head. "Well, anyways, come in."

We step inside and I see Rory in the kitchen, cooking something on the stove. "Hey Rory," I call.

He turns around. "Oh, hi Katniss! Hi Peeta!" he replies, turning the stove off and coming to join us in the living room. We all sit down and the green plush sofas. "What are you guys doing here?" he asks.

For what seems like the millionth time that day, we explain our reason for being here and why we need to use their guest room.

We get more or less the same reaction as we did from Prim. Prim leads us upstairs and helps us get the bedroom set up, and we agree to go get all of our necessities from our house.

Peeta and I quickly go upstairs and into our room once were inside our house, snatching up everything that we need.

We make our way back to Prim and Rory's house and finish setting up our room. As soon as were done, I sigh and slump down on the bed, burying my head in my hands.

"This is a mess," I groan.

I hear Peeta's heavy footstep come towards me and feel his arms wrap around me. His lips plant a kiss on the top of my head and he pulls me to his chest. I remove my hands from my face and wrap them around his torso.

"How long to do you think we're going to have to stay here?" I ask softly.

"That's anyone's guess now," he murmurs into my ear.


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games**

**I know I have been really bad about updating, but I'm taking all honors classes at school and I don't have a lot of time. **

Rays of light blink through the curtains and force my eyelids open. My limbs stretch as I sit up in bed, rubbing away the sleep from my eyes. Just like any other morning, Peeta lays asleep, his golden curls creating a halo around his face. But what's different about this morning is that we're now in Prim and Rory's house, since ours isn't safe anymore.

I slip out of bed and trod across the room towards the door. I quietly open it and hear voices coming from down stairs. I can just make out Finnick and Annie talking to Prim and Rory.

"_Why hasn't Paylor done anything?" _I hear.

"_Calm down, she said she was going to send in some officials soon to check out the situation."_

"_She said that it's best that we stay out of the houses, though. We should probably get out of here as soon as they wake up."_

"_We can go to the lake. Only Katniss and I know about it and where it is."_

"_Sounds like a plan."_

Hearing this made me excited, despite the reason. I had missed the lake, and completely forgotten about it when I came back to Twelve.

A hand on my lower back makes me jump, but I quickly realize that it's just Peeta who has woken up.

"Let's go downstairs," I say. "They're all down there."

He nods, and we start down the stairs. As soon as we reach the end of the stairs, all their heads swivel towards us.

"Good morning," Prim greets first. "I hope you guys don't mind, but we were actually making plans for us to all go to-"

I put my hand up. "Save your breath, Prim. I heard. We'd love to go, though," I reassure her.

They all smile. "Great. Let's get ready," Annie suggests.

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It takes us a bit longer than usual to get to the lake, but only because Peeta's leg got caught in the roots a couple times. Eventually though, we make it to the lake, and it's exactly how I remember it.

Calm blue water shines a million different shades as the sun shines down on it, and the grass around the lake sways lazily in the soft breeze breathing on our skin. The fresh aroma of pine needles and nature fill my nose and the chirping of birds can be heard in the distance.

It was _perfect. _

We had brought a picnic basket and blanket so that we could have lunch at the lake, so we proceed to lay out the blanket. We all have our swimsuits on underneath our clothes, so we take those off, throwing them onto the blanket.

I notice that Finnick and Annie look more than ready to get in the water after so much time away from their beloved sea. Prim offers to look after Jace (who had obviously come with us) for a bit while they have their much needed swim, which they eagerly agree to.

Finnick runs up to edge of the water, making sure he's at the deepest part, before taking an award winning dive into the lake. He comes up for air and looks over to Annie, who stands at the edge of the water with her arms crossed with a smirk on her face.

"Beat that, Cresta," Finnick challenges.

"Oh, you're on, but my last name is O'dair now, if you had forgotten," she replies, before backing up, and taking a running start before jumping into the air, doing a summersault and landing in perfect dive formation into the water.

While Annie and Finnick continue having swimming competitions, Prim and Rory lead Jace over to the shallow end, standing with him as he splashes around in the water.

"Peeta, look," I say, pointing towards the three and smiling. "Look how cute they are."

Peeta looks to where I'm pointing, and a thought washes over him.

"What's that look for?" I ask him.

He smiles affectionately at me. "I just can't help thinking that that's going to be us pretty soon," he whispers into my ear.

I smile, and the scene plays out in my head. A little blonde haired boy with sparkling blue eyes takes Jace's place, and another little girl stands next to him, this time with the same blue eyes but brown hair instead of blonde, pulled back into two little braids. Instead of Rory, Peeta stands next to the little boy, and instead of Prim, I stand next to the little girl.

But before the scene can go any further, a hard shove from behind sends me flying into the water, since I was standing right on the lake's edge. I quickly come up for air, and see Peeta coming up as well, realizing he had also been pushed in. I took towards the water's edge and see Finnick standing there, bronze hair plastered to his forehead with water and a devilish smirk on his face.

"Finnick! You dork!" I shriek, but I can't help laughing as well.

"Enough with the romance already, you lovebirds!" he says, before cannon-balling into the water himself.

The rest of day goes by quickly; we have our picnic and swim in the lake, laughing and having fun. I almost forget about the whole situation we have on our hands.

**Sorry my updates aren't coming regularly anymore, but I kind of lost motivation for this story. I might do a couple more chapters, then skip to the actual birth, and then do an epilogue. I'm trying to wrap up both of my stories because I really want to start a Hunger Games AU I've been dying to write. **


	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games.**

_2 months later…_

The days that were once full of breezy winds and autumn leaves transform into snow-capped mornings and dark, snowy evenings as December falls upon District 12. Most nights are spent curled up with a blanket in front of the fire, trying to keep warm from the chilly weather.

Peeta and I remain on our toes, always alert, even after Paylor sends out officials to every district, and even after they find Gale. He's in the Capitol now in questioning, and we've just been recently notified that he's going to be having a trial.

Paylor wants us to attend the trial.

By us, I mean Peeta and I. She says that in order for him to receive a punishment, they're going to need evidence. How she thinks either of us is going to provide evidence, well, I have no clue. There's that phone call from a few months back, but we can't prove that it was Gale. The voice was so raspy, so deep, it could've been anyone.

We agree to go though, because how could we tell her no? After all the trouble she's gone through to arrest Gale, how could we refuse to help make sure the verdict was guilty? Plus, I'm the one who had to live through all his actions, so I'm the only one with the story.

We're scheduled to fly into the Capitol in two days, and we have to stay for two weeks. We have to work with Paylor's lawyers and get our whole story together, I guess. Honestly, though, I have no idea what goes on in a court room. They didn't bother to teach it to us in school, since no one in District 12 ever got a government job in the Capitol, so there was no need. But now that I have to participate in a court, I'm extremely nervous. What if I mess up? What if I say the wrong thing?

I guess that's why we have to spend such a long time in the Capitol.

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"Have you finished blowing up those balloons yet?" Annie calls across the room to Johanna.

"God, Annie, it's been like two minutes. Plus, I'm pretty sure you got the crappiest balloons in District 12! These damn things won't blow up!" Johanna replies as she fiddles with the tail end of a red balloon.

Annie, Prim, and Johanna have been planning a small party for Jace's 4th birthday and as a sort of 'going away' party for Peeta and me. The three women also keep insisting that it's a baby shower for me as well, but I refuse to acknowledge that. The last thing I want is gifts.

"Language, Johanna!" Annie screeches. "There are children in this house!"

Johanna just rolls her eyes.

I sit in the kitchen, watching the two women. Annie tends to get a little… obsessed when it comes to parties and preparation, and this time was no exception. All week she had been giving orders to everyone, whether to go out and buy supplies or start preparing something. Peeta and I had asked her multiple times what we could do to help, but she refused to give us something to do. She insisted that it was a party for us, so we shouldn't be helping.

A couple hours later, the living room of our house is littered with balloons and confetti, some saying, "Happy 4th Birthday!" and others saying, "It's Twins!"

People start arriving at the door. I thought it would've been just us, meaning Annie, Finnick, Johanna, Prim, Rory, Jace, Peeta, and I, but Annie wanted to invite a few more people. Greasy Sae and her granddaughter come, as well as some of the employees at Peeta's bakery. A few storeowners who survived the bombing and who knew Prim and me as children come as well. In the end, it's a nice amount of people.

Rory serves out drinks to the guests and conversations begin as people start mingling. Almost everyone at some point comes over and congratulates me on the pregnancy, and, honestly, it gets a bit annoying.

"Time for cake!" Annie announces excitedly some time into the party.

Finnick enters the room, wheeling out a little cart with a two story cake on top. The cake is frosted in white, but the top have is iced in rainbow icing around the upper rim and reads, Happy Birthday Jace! The lower rim is iced in baby blue and the lower half of the cake reads, It's Twins!

Annie plucks a few candles into the top half of the cake and the lights switch off as she lights the candles. We sing happy birthday to Jace as he sits in his mother's arms, smiling with glee at all the attention he's receiving.

Finnick cuts the cake and everyone has a piece. I take a bite and I can immediately tell that it's from my fiancé's bakery.

"What about my presents?" Jace questions in a high, squeaky voice, with his mouth covered in white icing as Annie tries to shove a fork with cake on it into his mouth.

His outburst sends us into chuckles, but we comply with his demand and move over to the table covered in gifts. Jace is plopped down onto a chair piled with cushions, so that he can actually reach over the table.

He opens his gifts, squealing at each one as he rips wrapping paper with his little hands. It's quite cute.

"Now Katniss' gifts!" Annie says, turning to me once Jace has opened all his gifts. I give her a death glare, but don't say anything.

She sits me down in one of the chairs and hands me packages wrapped in light blues and pinks. I open about seven gifts, everything from bibs to bath toys. I can't help but laugh when I open Johanna's gift, which is two bibs, one in pink and one in blue. The pink one reads, 'I was planned' while the blue one reads 'I wasn't planned.'

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An hour later, the party has ended and we've cleaned up the living room, storing the extra cake in the fridge and finding a chest for all the baby presents. It's only when I get in bed that night that I realize what I'll have to face in a two days.

Sorry for the shortness and boringness :P


	19. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games**

Before I start, let's review what has happened so far. Katniss and Peeta are engaged and expecting twins. However, due to Gale's actions, one of the babies is expected to have Down syndrome. Katniss' doctor has been sending ultrasounds to the Capitol in effort to find a cure for what happened, since they have been able to trace that it is linked to the fact that Peeta was hijacked. Also, President Paylor has had Gale captured and charged for domestic violence, however she needs Katnniss and Peeta to attend the trial.

And also, Prim and Finnick are still alive. Annie and Finnick have a toddler named Jace.

"You can't catch me!" Jace's high-pitched squeal rings out.

"I'm coming to get you, Jace!" I hear Peeta reply.

I chuckle to myself as the two males chase each other around the house. Pulling out the china plates from the cupboard, I secretly smile to myself, thinking about how Peeta will soon be chasing our own child.

I set three plates on the table, along with glasses and silverware. "Dinner's ready!" I call, pulling open the oven. A thick wave of heat escapes the oven, letting out a mouth-watering aroma of chicken.

Peeta and I were babysitting Jace. Annie and Finnick had been talking about going on a date together, so we had volunteered to look after Jace. I'm glad we did so, because tomorrow is the court case, and if I didn't have Jace to look after, I'd be out of my mind with anxiety.

"Alright Jace, up you get," I hear Peeta say from behind me. I turn around as I pull the chicken out and close the oven door with my knee. Peeta grabs Jace from under the his arms and hoists him up onto the chair. "Anything I can help with?" He asks, walking around Jace's chair to stand behind me, since I've turned back to the stove.

"Would you mind grabbing the water jug?" I reply.

"Of course not," he responds, opening the fridge door and pulling out the transparent pitcher.

I transfer the chicken onto another plate before setting it on the table and settling into my seat next to Jace, who sits at the head of the table. I grab Jace's plate and cut off some chicken for him.

"Alright, eat up, Jace," I say, placing the plate in front of him. I do the same for Peeta's and my plates as Peeta pours water into each of our glasses. When he's finished, he takes a seat on Jace's other side, across from me.

He glances at Jace, then turns his head back to me, flashing me a warming smile that makes me look down at my food as my cheeks warm with a blush.

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After tucking Jace in for the night, Peeta and I retire to our bedroom as well to get ready for the night.

As I stand in the bathroom, I start untying my somewhat disheveled braid. I squeeze off the elastic tie and pull apart the woven strands of brown hair until it all rests over my shoulders in continuous waves. Before I can start re-braiding it, I see Peeta behind me in the mirror. He walks right up behind me before snaking his arms around my waist from behind. I drop my hands to rest over Peeta's, leaning into his body.

He leans down and places a kiss right above my left ear as my eyes flutter close. "You're worried," he whispers, his breath warm on my ear. "I can see it in your eyes."

"How can I not be worried?" I whisper back, my eyes staying shut. I feel his calloused and warm hand slip out from underneath mine to slide up my arm. I feel my hair being swept behind my shoulder, exposing my neck. His fingers ghost over my skin, making me remember what's there. This makes my eyes spread open, as I reach behind to pull my hair back over my neck.

Peeta gives me a questioning look in the mirror, and I sigh. "I don't want you to see my scars," I whisper, lowering my gaze to the floor.

"But, Katniss," he whispers into my ear. "I have scars too." He tries to catch my gaze in the mirror, but I avoid his eyes, an inevitable mix of shame and fear overcoming my senses. Seeing this, he abruptly removes his hands from where they sat on my waist and shoulder. This makes me quickly look up, worried that I'd made him upset.

I spin around to face him, opening my mouth to say something. Before I can though, his hands take hold of my forearms as his lips crash down onto mine. Immediately, my eyes shut close and my arms snake up around his neck, my fingers tangling into his blonde curls. In turn, his hands slide down to grab hold of my hips.

As his lips move against mine, a warm tingling spreads throughout my body, making me smile into the kiss.

Eventually, his lips part form mine, but his hands still keep me close. "Every single inch of you is beautiful," he whispers against my skin. "Please don't ever be ashamed in front of me."

Upon hearing these words, I feel moisture gathering in my eyes. "Oh, Peeta," I say, flinging my arms back around his neck to hug him close to me. "What did I ever do to deserve you?"

Before he can answer though, I feel a soft thud near my bellybutton. Alarmed, I quickly untangle my arms from Peeta's neck and step back, placing my hands on my stomach.

"What's wrong?" Peeta asks worriedly.

"I-I don't know," I reply. "I felt something. Like a soft thud in my stomach," I explain.

"Maybe we should call-" Peeta starts, but I cut him off when I feel the thud again.

"There it is again!" I exclaim, moving my hand over to the spot where I had felt it. That's when I finally realize, letting out a gasp. "Peeta, I think the babies are kicking!"

With this, Peeta's eyes widen and his lips stretch into a wide grin. Coming closer to me, he places his hands my stomach. Almost immediately, I feel the thud right where one of Peeta's palms lay.

Peeta looks back up at me, his blue eyes shining with a mix of so many different emotions. "I can't believe it," he says, letting out a joyful chuckle. "That's our babies kicking."

At this point, the kicks have begun a steady rhythm. I place my hand over Peeta's. "It feels so strange!" I state with a laugh. "It feel like someone is throwing a rock at my stomach, but it doesn't hurt at all."

With that, Peeta removes his hands from my stomach, only to place them on the sides of my head, pulling me in and placing one more kiss upon my lips.

**A/N: Aww Peeta's so cute. Anyways, who's excited for the Catching Fire premiere?! Anyone going at midnight? I was going to, but then I found out that my movie theater is going to show it at 8:00, which is four hours earlier.**

**Is anyone going to see it at the Edwards Stadium 18 in San Marcos, California? That's where I'm going. OMG what if I met one of you guys there. We could fangirl over Peeniss (or Katpee or Everlark or whatever you want to call it) together! :D**


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: Hello my lovelies! Thank you for the very kind reviews, I just love reading them! **

**12 DAYS TILL CATCHING FIRE AAKDNIFBEKJKJ I'M SO EXCITED**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Hunger Games**

As the hovercraft door opens, strands of hair escape the confines of my braid and dance in fast movements in front of my face. Using my hand to sweep the hairs back, I carefully step down the small ladder. Once on the ground, I cross my arms to my chest, trying to keep my body as warm as possible against the harsh, cold wind that bites my cheeks. Stormy grey clouds sit in the sky above my head, small droplets of water falling against the earth now and then in a reoccurring pattern.

_Pitter, patter. Pitter, patter._

With every drop of rain, another anxiety-filled thought races through my mind. I keep trying to tell myself that worrying isn't going to help me at all; nevertheless, tendrils of doubt continue to infiltrate my thoughts.

Today is the first day of preparing for Gale's court case.

After the six hour trip it took to get here, I should be relieved to have my feet on the ground again. Although, I can't help but yearn to hop back onto the hovercraft and fly back to District 12, back to the warm nights spent in my fiancé's arms.

The thought brings me to another realization. Peeta and I were engaged; a wedding would be happening soon. I mentally groan. It feels as though everything is happening at once: the court case, the wedding, and, of course, the babies. We were still waiting to hear from the Capitol if they had been able to find a cure. Hopefully it wouldn't be too much longer.

I see Peeta walk out the hovercraft, his eyes showing that he's taken aback by the Capitol's cold weather. He puts an arm around my shoulders, and we make our way to the small black car waiting near the hovercraft that will take us to our hotel. When we step into the car, I find it relieving that the windows are tinted. With my overly anxious thoughts, the last thing I need is the Capitol bombarding me with cameras and questions.

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"Oh, Katniss, my dear!" I hear a shrill voice behind me. Turning my head, I barely have a moment before elongated fingers grasp my shoulders, the tips of very long fingernails just poking my skin. The lady smiles at me, and then presses a kiss to each of my cheeks.

"Effie! How nice to see you," I respond in recognition. Beyond the electric blue wig and matching lipstick, I can still see my old escort.

Letting go of my shoulders, she turns to Peeta. "My dear Peeta! My, how you've changed! You've become quite the young man," she comments, grasping his shoulders and planting a kiss on each cheek. She steps back, six inch heels embroidered with blue and pink tulips clicking against the marble tile floor.

Getting a better look at her, I see that two tulips sit on top of her hair. The tulips are pink and blue, matching her heels. In fact, now that I can see her in full length, I notice her entire dress is an embroidery of pink and blue tulips. Underneath her eye sits a small black butterfly tattoo, finishing off her complex outfit.

I glance back up at her face, and notice that she has also been eyeing our appearances. Her eyes stop on my stomach.

She gasps in realization. "Katniss, either you have not been eating properly and let yourself go, or you are pregnant?" she says excitedly, the statement coming out as a question.

I smile at her words and feel Peeta come up behind me, placing a hand on my lower back. "Yes," I chuckle. "We are expecting," I inform her, looking up at Peeta as he flashes me a smile.

"Oh my! This is such exciting news! I simply cannot contain my joy for you two! Never did I think I'd see the day!" Effie rattles. "But, unfortunately, I cannot dwindle too long on the subject, since I must begin preparing you for the days ahead! Let us leave the lobby. Come, come," she says, beckoning us towards the elevators.

Peeta and I follow her, the subtle heel of my tan, leather boots clicking along the floor. Today, I made sure to dress much more appropriately for the Capitol's harsh, pre-winter winds. My tight jeans tuck into the leather boots, and a simple, loose grey top with long sleeves adorns my upper half. A warm, cotton coat is also slung over my arm, for whenever I have to go outside.

As we step into the elevator, I feel my chocolate colored hair sway across my back, since I had left it down today instead of in a braid, eager for the extra warmth upon my neck. I wasn't sure how I felt about it; all I knew was that Peeta absolutely loved it, and couldn't stop threading his fingers through it this morning.

Effie's long, rose colored nails reach out and press the elevator button with a 4 on it, before stepping back and standing next to us.

Looking down, I notice that the elevator's bright lights reflect of my chestnut waves, creating golden highlights throughout my hair. I hadn't noticed until now, but District Twelve's hot summer must have lightened my hair.

Looking around me, I notice that the elevator's walls seem to be made of a glistening kind of wood. I reach my hand out and touch it, only to find that it is actually plastic painted to look like wood. Still, it creates a comfortable feeling in my stomach.

After a minute or so, the elevator comes to stop, and the doors slide open to reveal a corridor filled with doors leading into offices. Each door has a little plaque, as to tell you whose office it is.

Effie leads us down the corridor, skimming the plaques with her eyes. Finally, she comes to stop in front of one. "Here we are!" she announces, digging into her purse for an entrance card. I shift my gaze to the plaque, reading what it says:

_Aaron Stelli_

_Civil Law Attorney_

I see Effie slide the card into a little slot on the door before grasping the handle and pushing the heavy door open.

Stepping inside, I see that the office is extremely neat and organized; however, it has a welcoming feel to it that I can't quite pinpoint. The floor is carpet, as opposed to tile, and is colored a light crème color. With every step I take, it seems as though my feet are sinking into giant marshmallow, the thought making the corners of my mouth turn up in a small smile. The walls are made of wood, colored a deep brown shade. Various paintings hang on the wall, the images ranging from potted sunflowers to earthy landscapes. Bookshelves and cabinets line themselves along the wall, leaving the office feeling very spacious. Three, light green armchairs sit next to each other in front of a large, wooden desk that matches the office's walls. What really catches my attention is that the whole back wall is, in fact, not a wall. Instead, a giant window stands in place of the wall, allowing anyone in the office to overlook the busy street below, flooded with the erratic colors of Capitol citizens.

Effie walks us across the room to the desk, where a man with black hair sits. "Aaron! So nice to see you," Effie squeaks as the man stands up, flashing us a dazzling smile. Now that he's standing, I see the crisp grey suit that he's wearing, along with a black and green striped tie tucked into the jacket. His skin is also quite pale, slightly paler than Peeta's, contrasting his jet black hair. But the feature that really captures my attention is his eyes. I can't help but be mesmerized by how amazingly green they are. At first, I think that the color can't possibly be natural; he must be wearing some sort of special contacts. As he greets Effie, though, I see that they aren't contacts. And he doesn't seem like the type to get cosmetic surgery like the rest of the Capitol.

"Hello Effie. Long time no see, eh?" he greets her.

"Oh, absolutely," Effie gushes. Then, as if remembering we were in the room, she turns to us. "Aaron, this is Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark. Children, this is Mr. Aaron Stelli. He will be your lawyer for the court case."

**A/N: Oh lordie. Catching Fire is so soon I just can't even.**

**I wanted to remind you guys that on my profile, I always have the statuses of both my stories. So if you're ever anxiously waiting for the next chapter, just check there to see how far I am into the next chapter, or if it has already been posted. **

**I strongly appreciate your reviews guys, so keep it coming! For this chapter, review and comment your favorite quote from any of the books from the HG series! Mine would probably be:**

"**What I need to survive is not Gale's fire, kindled with rage and hatred. I have plenty of fire myself. What I need is the dandelion in the spring. The bright yellow that means rebirth instead of destruction. The promise that life can go on, no matter how bad our losses. That it can be good again. And only Peeta can give me that." -Mockingjay**


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: Sorry it took me so long to update! I have a CRAZY amount of homework and can barely get time to even make a cup of tea, let alone write!**

**So, I 'm going to be picking up right where we left off last chapter. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games**

Aaron stands up, showing off two rows of pearl-white teeth as his lips stretch into a smile. "It's a pleasure," he says, and I can hear his strong, but unfamiliar, accent. Taking his outstretched hand as a cue, I put out my own hand, placing my fingers into his so he can shake my hand.

He shakes Peeta's hand as well. "The pleasure is all ours, Mr. Stelli," Peeta responds with his signature charm.

Aaron chuckles, and with a wave of his hand he says, "Please, call me Aaron. I like to be on a first-name basis with my clients." As he says this, I can't deny that he looks right at me.

Seeing that we had properly introduced ourselves, Effie speaks. "I bet my buttons that you two have noticed Aaron's unusual accent, haven't you?" she asks me and Peeta in her perky tone. Before we can respond, she continues. "That's because he didn't live in Panem before the war. While Snow was in power, our communication with other countries had been… suppressed. However, President Paylor has recently reopened these connections. Mr. Aaron here is actually from a country called England."

I looked at Aaron. This man in front of me knew nothing about me or Peeta. He didn't know about the Games, or the war, or our victor statuses. No wonder Effie had needed to introduce us.

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We had spent almost the whole day in Aaron's office, we being Peeta, Effie, Aaron, and myself. I don't think I have ever read so many papers in one day. First I had had to learn about how a court trial even worked, thanks to my uneducated childhood. Then we had to read about domestic violence, and what level of violence my situation would be categorized in.

My least favorite part of the whole day had been reading up on other, real-life domestic violence cases. I had to actually leave the room a couple times, learning about what some women had to go through bringing me close to tears.

Stepping out of the shower, I turn on the body fan, placing myself on the little platform. In a matter of seconds, my hair and I are completely dry. I wish we had these in District 12.

Wrapping a towel around my ever growing frame, I saunter into our hotel bedroom, going over to the dresser and opening the top drawer. I drop the towel, and it puddles into a heap at my feet. In its place, I pull on my panties. I start to put on my bra, but it seems tight, making me remember one of the side effects of pregnancy. Scowling, I throw the bra back into the drawer, beyond the point of caring.

Luckily, I seem to be gaining weight in only my stomach and breasts, as opposed to the whole body like some women. So most of my pants and shorts still fit, I just have to buy new tops.

I open another drawer and pull out my black sweatpants, slipping them up my legs to rest on my narrow hips. Since I know none of my normal t-shirts will be comfortable enough for sleeping, I pull on a shirt that I bought a couple weeks ago from the maternity store. Colored a deep crimson, the top isn't something I would usually wear. The neckline plunges to right above my breasts, called a sweetheart neckline I think. The straps are made of lace, only about two fingers wide on my shoulders. However, it's comfortable enough and fits well, so it'll have to do for tonight.

Just as I'm slipping my feet into the complimentary slippers, I hear the room's door open behind me. Peeta walks in, a small book in his hand that he must've bought at the hotel's store.

"What did you get?" I ask curiously, hopping across the room to him.

"Well, you remember what Effie said? About there being other countries that we cut off communication with?" I nod in response. "Well, I guess I got kind of curious, and I bought this," he says, holding up the book so I can see the cover.

_The Cut-Off Continent: Europe _it reads, and I can't help but be intrigued.

"Apparently," Peeta says. "North America used to be really strong allies with Europe. Then, when North America was destroyed and Panem took over the land, the government totally cut off any sort of connections with Europe."

"I can't believe it," I breathe. "There are other places in the world, with civilizations, people, culture… and we never even knew."

Later that evening, after we order room service for dinner, Peeta and I crawl into bed. The only position I can lay in now is on my back, occasionally on my side if I'm feeling ok. Flopping onto the bed, my head hits the soft pillow, making me sigh in pleasure after the long day. Peeta lies down next to me, lying on his side and slinging his arm over my stomach as he peppers kisses up my neck to underneath my ear. Even though I'm gradually getting thicker in certain areas, I'm still so small compared to Peeta. His large, strong hand easily cups the side of my face as I turn my head to plant my lips on his. As soon as we kiss, I feel the little thumps in my stomach, making me chuckle against Peeta's lips. I break the kiss and take Peeta's hand, placing his thick fingers onto my stomach and holding his hand beneath my own slender fingers.

As soon as he feels the babies' kicks, his whole face lights up like it did the first time he felt them. I have to bite my lip to stop a smile of my own from forming, since his joy is so contagious.

He's just about to kiss me again when the lamp on the bedside table begins to flicker. Before we can even move, every light in the room flashes off. Even the cable box under the TV, which used to display the time in illuminated green numbers, shuts off and flickers to a dead black. Outside the window, we see all the street lamps flicker off, plunging us into complete darkness.

"Oh crap," I hear Peeta mutter next to me.

Shuffling off the bed, I can barely make out Peeta carefully walking around to my side of the bed, grasping the end of the bed to avoid tripping over something. I sit up, slinging my legs over the side of the bed and searching for my shoes with my bare feet. My feet eventually find the soft fabric of the slippers I had been wearing, so I slip my feet into them. After Peeta finds his shoes as well, he finds me in the dark and takes my hand, finding the door and opening it.

In the darkness, we have to try and find our way through the hotel's hallway, which is also pitch black. Obviously, other people are coming out of their rooms as well, since I seem to be bumping into everyone.

"What I wouldn't do for a flashlight right now," I mutter under my breath.

Figuring the elevator won't work, we try and find the stairs. By now, mostly everyone is gone, obviously knowing the hotel better than us, since we haven't been here even a day.

"I think I found the stairs," Peeta says, still grasping my hand in his. "Come on."

Walking down stairs in the dark is a lot harder than it seems. I trip so many times that I lose count. If it weren't for Peeta's arm secured around my shoulders I would've already tumbled down the stairs, probably breaking a limb or two in the process. It's beyond me how steady Peeta is, even with his prosthetic leg.

Suddenly, my senses become alert, and I know, without a doubt, that there is someone behind us. Even in complete darkness, I can feel someone's body warmth and friction behind us, thanks to my huntress skills. The hair on the back of my neck stands on end as my eyes widen and my breath quickens.

Peeta notices, and begins to say, "Katniss, what's wr-" but I interrupt him, letting out a high-pitched scream as a cold, icy hand rips me from Peeta's grasp.

"Scream one more time, bitch," a deep and menacing voice says behind me. His hand grasps my shoulder, thick and burly fingers digging into my skin. I gasp when I feel the cold metal of a knife against my flesh, the blade coming threateningly close my neck. Instinctively, I wrap my arms around my stomach.

"Get your hands off her," I hear Peeta growl. He's about to lunge at my attacker when the man speaks again.

"Move a single inch and his knife goes straight into her neck," the man threatens, his voice dripping with foulness.

"You're lying. You don't have a knife," Peeta replies, sounding as though he's ready to tear the man's face off.

"Yes he does," I whimper quietly, trying to stop Peeta from doing anything foolish.

Hearing my words, my attacker lets out a chilling laugh, obviously at how weak and scared my voice sounds. By this point, after being in the dark for so long, my huntress skills have taken over. As the man laughs, I feel his hand quiver slightly, putting just a centimeter of distance between the knife and my neck. Taking the opportunity, I whip my left leg up behind me, aiming my foot for his crotch. By his release on my shoulder and the groan of pain he lets out, I assume that I was successful.

"Run!" I shriek, grabbing Peeta's arm and beginning to stumble back down the stairs. We barely make it two steps when I feel another pair of cold hands grasp my shoulders from behind. By the sounds of struggling I hear Peeta make, I assume that someone has taken hold of his shoulders as well.

"How cute," a snarky voice sneers behind me. "They thought they could get away."

It's the last thing I hear before some sort of bag is thrown over my head and a sharp needle is plunged into my arm, pushing me into a cloudy unconsciousness.

**A/N: Ahhh! Cliffy! Honestly, I have no idea where I'm going with this. Oops, oh well. **

**OH MY GOD CATCHING FIRE WAS SO FUCKING GOOD I CAN'T EVEN. Like while I was watching the premiere I had to pee so bad like literally I was about to explode but I was like "No, I'm not going to miss a single second" so yeah. But seriously IT WAS SO GOOD! THE SCENE WITH JOHANNA STRIPPING DOWN IN THE ELEVATOR OH MY GOD JENNIFER WOULD YOU LIKE YOUR OSCAR NOW OR LATER. **

**The only thing that was upsetting was that they cut out the rooftop scene. That seriously pissed me off. **


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N: Sorry for such a late update, but my weeks are just so crazy! I have a ton of homework every day, and then I have volleyball and piano three times a week, so I barely have time to write! So, as I juggle between this story and my other one, updates will probably come once every two weeks. Maybe sooner if I find time. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games**

A sharp blinding light wedges itself between my eyelids, forcing me to open my eyes. For a moment, everything looks blurry, and I can't make out a single object around me. All I can register is a painful throbbing in my head and the smell of wet and humid air. A stabbing pain in my stomach also signifies my hunger, giving me the impression that I've probably been here, wherever 'here' is, for quite a while.

My vision still hazy and blurred, I try to move my arms, in effort to sit myself up. I immediately let out a gasp in pain as the action sends shots of burning fire throughout my entire being. I feel my heartbeat being to race, and my breathing comes out in rapid patterns.

"Shhh," a voice says. I'm about to start panicking even more when burly, thick fingers make contact with my hair. I recognize their owner immediately, just from his touch.

"Peeta," I whisper, straining my vision to see him better. He sits above me against a grey, stone wall; my head must be lying on his lap. I muster all my strength and try to move my arm again, but the same burning pain envelops my body, making me groan in pain.

"You need to rest, Katniss. Don't try to move," Peeta says, laying his other hand on the one I tried to move and threading his fingers through mine.

"Peeta, where are we? What happened?" I groan. "My head hurts."

His face twists into an expression of sympathy and frustration as he watches me be in pain like this. "I'll tell you what happened, but I want you to close your eyes. You need to rest; it'll help your head."

My eyelids flutter shut, making the bright lights around me flicker into darkness. He's right, my head already feels a little better.

"What's the last thing you remember?" Peeta asks softly, rubbing his thumb in circles on my hand and threading my brown locks through his fingers.

"I remember being in the dark," I begin, "and there were stairs. Then there was a man and… and a knife, I think. I remember getting away for a moment, but then someone else grabbed us. The last thing I remember is having a bag thrown over my head, and a needle in my arm." I shudder at the memory.

"Yeah, they did that to me too," Peeta says, "but I don't think their sedater worked as well on me. It made me a bit sleepy and confused, but I could still see what was going on," he continues. "They dragged us out of the building and threw us into a car. I'm not exactly sure where they brought us, but I remember the car stopping at a small building, so small you would miss it if you weren't looking for it. They dragged us into this building and brought us in an elevator, which I suspect brought us underground. They threw us into a cell, which is where we are now." His fingers leave my hair to touch my cheek, stroking the area beneath my eye. At his touch, I can feel the gash running beneath my eye, which he so delicately touches.

"They were so rough with you," he whispers, and I can hear the pain in his voice. "I tried to get you away from them, to stop them from just throwing you around like they were, but the sedater must have immobilized my limbs, because I couldn't move at all."

When he stays silent after that, I slowly open my eyes, happy to see my vision has come back to normal. I look at Peeta, and see his glassy eyes threatening to spill over with tears. I finally notice the dark circles under his eyes, and the way his hair is tousled as if he had been running his hand through it with worry.

"Peeta, it's not your fault," I say assertively, squeezing his hand. He looks at me for a moment in doubt before turning his gaze away once again. "Peeta, look at me," I say softly. When he does, I continue, "Nothing is your fault. Do you understand? You shouldn't be blaming yourself for anything." He nods, but I can still see the doubt in his eyes. I sigh and ask, "Peeta, how long have we been here?"

He shrugs and says, "I'm not sure what time we got here, but by looking at the clock over, I'd guess about eighteen hours."

That means we had spent the whole night in this cell, and it was already past midday of the next day. "Have you slept at all?" I ask him. "You look tired."

He gives me a waning smile, evidencing his fatigue. "Don't worry about me, love. I'll be fine."

"Come on Peeta, that's ridiculous," I say. "You need to sleep."

"But what if they come while I'm asleep? What if they take you? I won't be able to stop them," he replies, his eyes looking frantic.

"Well, if you're tired, you won't be able to fight them off either," I point out. "Besides, if they do come and try to take me, I promise I'll scream loud enough to wake you up." This seems to convince him.

))))))))))))))((((((((((((((

After a lot of straining on my part, I manage to sit up without the burning pain, which has seemed to mostly go away. Now our roles are reversed: I sit against the wall and Peeta lays down with his head on my lap. My fingers travel to the top of his head, and begin to thread through his blonde locks.

"Katniss?" Peeta says, looking up at me with those big blue eyes.

"Yeah, Peeta?"

"Can you sing?" he says. He must see the taken aback look on my face, because he continues, "I don't think I'm going to be able to sleep in our current situation, but maybe if you sing I'll be able to."

I look down at him, his eyes burning with plead. I sigh and a soft smile forms on my face. "Okay, but only because you didn't sleep just so I could."

His face lights up with glee and his eyelids flutter shut, cuing me.

I take a deep breath, and begin to sing,

"_Deep in the meadow,_

_Under the willow_

_A bed of grass_

_A soft green pillow."_

I continue the song, all the way until the end. About halfway through, I start to feel little _thumps_ in my stomach. I've grown used to them now, but I can't help the chills that run down my spine whenever I feel them.

When I feel them this time, I'm tempted to stop singing and tell Peeta, so he can feel it himself. But I don't, because something tells me it would change his mind about getting some sleep.

When I finish the song, I look down at Peeta to see if he's asleep. By the rhythmic movement of his chest, I can tell he is.

I take this chance to observe my surroundings. Now that I've regained most of my senses and the sedate has practically worn off, I can start thinking about what the hell we're going to do.

By what Peeta told me and by what our cell room looks like, I can pretty much conclude that we're underground. Next to us is an empty cell. I try to ignore the red stains on the ground, which are likely the remnants of the blood of a past prisoner. Besides the steel bars that form a criss-cross pattern to form our cells, there isn't much else in the room. A small wooden stool sits in the corner, but it looks absolutely coated in dust from not being used in so long. An annoying drip to the left of us creates a small puddle on the ground, falling in a never-ending song.

_Drip, drip, drip_

I wrap my coat slightly tighter around me, balling my fists into the sleeves. I'm glad that the Capitol was so cold. If we hadn't been wearing our warmest pajamas and coats, Peeta and I would be freezing down here. It must be something like forty degrees.

Suddenly, I hear footsteps, heavy ones that sound as if they're descending a staircase. Somewhere in front of our cell, I see the doorknob on a door I hadn't noticed turn, and violently swing open. I grimace and feel Peeta begin to wake up in my lap. He has always been a light sleeper.

Whoever it is at the door takes their time coming into the room, hiding themselves from view by staying in the shadows. Peeta's eyes flutter open, and he bolts up into a sitting position when he hears the clamoring that is going on in the doorway. He looks at me and I shrug, since I have no idea what's going on.

Peeta is about to stand up when I see the person's silhouette begin to move out of the shadows and towards our cell.

It's a man. His hair is a deep auburn color, and his eyes are a faint green. _District 4, _I think.

In his hands he holds two trays. On them is a bowl with some sort of soup, a roll of bread, a spoon, and a glass of water. He kneels onto the ground, setting the trays down and pulling out a ring of keys from his pocket. His fingers grasp onto one of the keys, and he opens a small door at the bottom of the cell. The door is just big enough to slip the trays of food inside, which is what he does before re-closing and locking it. He stands up, and I expect him to just turn around and walk away, but he doesn't. Instead, he looks at us. His gaze travels from Peeta's face to mine, and then down to my hands which rest on my abdomen. A pained expression overtakes his face before he turns around, obviously to leave the room.

"What do want with us?" I hear Peeta ask. I whip my head towards him, wondering why he'd ask something like that when we're so vulnerable.

Without turning around, I see the man's shoulders slump, and his voice comes out in a deep monotone. "You'll find out soon enough."

Without another word, the man walks back through the door, closing it behind him.

**A/N: *Gasp!* What's going on? Why did he look at her stomach? You'll just have to wait till next chapter! Oh, a writer's powers, huh?**

**Guess what** **guys? The Catching Fire DVD is coming out before the Divergent premiere! Sometime in March, they say. I'M SO EXCITED! The bonus content it going to contain a Divergent sneak peak!**


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N: Hello my beautiful readers! I can't believe I have 560 reviews on this story! That's crazy! Also, by looking at my traffic stats I see that every time I update I get over 2,000 reads on the chapter! I literally gasped out loud when I saw that. Thank you all so much!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games**

_Without another word, the man walks back through the door, closing it behind him._

I avert my gaze to Peeta, and see a mix of fear and anger swarming in his eyes, which seem to burn holes though the door.

I scoot over and wrap my arms around his middle, planting my head on his chest. His heartbeat engulfs my right ear, the smooth rhythmic sound spreading though my being and mimicking my own.

Peeta responds to my touch, tightening his arms around my shoulders as his actions emanated a sense of protection.

"I won't let them touch you," he murmurs into my hair, planting a kiss on my scalp. "Not even a single hair on your head."

I lifted my head from his chest and smiled at him. "I know you won't," I responded. "And I won't let them touch you either. Because that's what you and I do. Protect each other."

Finally, the anger and fear fled from Peeta's eyes, as warmth and recognition overtook them. "Yes," he agreed, his mouth stretching into a small smile. "Yes it is."

))))))))((((((((

"What even is this?" I ask, disgust creeping into my voice. I let the spoon drop back into the bowl, sending tiny drops of brown mush flying onto the tray.

"I don't know," Peeta responded, swirling his own bowl of brown mush. "But I don't think I want to find out." He looked up at me. "We might as well just eat it. Who knows how often they'll feed us."

I looked back down at the bowl, and I knew Peeta was right. After all, I had lived a great portion of my childhood in poverty; I'm sure I had eaten worse than this. Eleven year old me would've done anything to have a bowl of food, even if it was a mysterious brown slop.

I lift the spoon to my lips, anticipating the worst so that I can at least be happily surprised. As the chunky liquid seeps over my tongue, I find that it isn't as bad as it looks. I can vaguely taste beef, and my taste buds register the flavor of tomatoes as well.

I eat the rest of my soup and the roll of bread, taking breaks to sip water into my throat. The gritty sensation of dehydration that coats my esophagus forces memories of our first Games to infiltrate my mind. My throat is telling me to gulp the whole cup down in one swallow, but my head is telling me to savor it.

I push the tray away, clutching the Styrofoam cup of water between my fingers.

"Katniss,"

I turn to look at Peeta, who has been sitting next to me against the wall as we silently ate our food.

He lifts his tray over his lap, moving it between our legs and scooting it to me. "I think you should have the rest of my food," he says.

I look down at his tray, and see that he's only eaten have his bowl of soup and hasn't even touched his bread.

I look back up at him, furrowing my eyebrows in disapproval. "Peeta, you've hardly eaten!" I exclaim. "I'm fine, I don't need any more."

His demeanor softened as he responded, "Sure, you might not need anymore. But what about them?" His hand reached over and his fingers settled across the plane of my abdomen. "Remember, you have two more mouths to feed."

I averted my gaze, knowing Peeta was right. "Ok," I responded through gritted teeth. "But I'm not taking all of it. You need to keep up your strength, Peeta. Who knows what's going to happen in these next few days…"

I ended up taking half his bread roll and half of the soup he left. He tried to get me to take more, but I wouldn't budge. Sure, I had to look after my babies, but what about Peeta? I had to look after him as well.

)))))))))))(((((((((((

What felt like hours passed, and my eyes felt heavier by the second. The rotting stench of sewage had crept into our cell, invading our nasal passages. Curled up against Peeta's side, my fingers gripped the fabric of his jacket as a harsh gust of freezing hair whispered over my shoulders.

Peeta had his arms around me in a securing grip, the look in his eye reminding me of a mother raccoon I had once seen in the forest. She had seven babies with her, and they were all curled up inside a tree log. The moment I passed by with my bow, she had bared her teeth and let out a hiss. Once I had left her view, she still turned her head to watch around her, with eyes intent on protection.

"I have an idea," I hear Peeta say. I look up at him, curious as to what he had to say. "Look over there, in the corner."

I look to where he was pointing, lifting myself off his chest and squinting my eyes to see. "Is it… a pipe?" I ask, baffled as to why he was worried about a pipe.

He nods. "Yeah," he responds. "We could tie our jackets in a long chain and drag it over to us. Then we could hide it, and when that guy comes to give us food and comes close enough to the bars, we can hit him and knock him unconscious. That way we could just grab the keys from his pocket and open the cage door."

"Ok,' I respond, letting his words process in my mind. "I mean, what have we got to lose?"

So we did it. Peeling off our layers, we had six jackets and cardigans, which we tied into a rope by their sleeves. We threw it out the bars, managing to roll the pipe over to us, close enough so that we could reach through and grab it.

I pass the rusty metal between my fingers as Peeta untied our jackets, feeling its weight and how much damage we could do to someone. Of course, we didn't want to _kill _the man, just knock him unconscious.

We put the rod against the wall, so that we could sit in front of it when the man came. We decided that Peeta would subtly place his hand to his side on the floor, just over the end of the rod. So when the man got close enough to the cage, Peeta could whip the rod out and knock him unconscious.

So we waited. Our last meal was probably lunch, so dinner should be coming soon. Sure enough, about an hour later, we heard familiar footsteps tumble down the stairs behind the door. With the same heavy demeanor, someone lifted the door's latch, undoing all the locks. We positioned ourselves, Peeta's hand just barely hovering over the metal weapon. Sweat beads began forming on my hands, and my breathing became a bit erratic. Suddenly, I wanted all these jackets off. An invisible wave of heat had seemed to settle over us, dripping into every pore on my body.

I knew that this intense heat I was imagining must just be a product of my nervousness, because Peeta seemed fine. His cheeks were glowing with pink and his lips were slightly tinged blue, all result of the cold. However, I was expectedly interrupted from my thoughts when I heard a squeak from the door. My gaze instantly flashed to the man coming in with two trays of food, his footsteps heavy against the grey floor.

My heart began beating a little faster, and I was sure that the man was going to hear it. I'm not sure why I was so nervous; maybe it was because it reminded me of the Games. Having to plot and plan against others in a bid for your own survival, along with constantly being in fear that someone was going to sneak up behind you.

The resemblance was daunting.

**A/N: I'm sorry I just had to stop it here! It was too tempting!**

***IMPORTANT!* I have something IMPORTANT to ask you guys. So, I'm thinking of starting a WattPad account so I can post this story idea that's been rattling through my brain. I'd also post it on my FictionPress account (KatnissWriter) for all of you who have a FictionPress. Long story short, I want to post it on WattPad to show up this girl who went to my school last year whose posts are literally ALL about her story on WattPad (which isn't very good, if you ask me. I mean, she only has 4 reviews for her 10 chapters). She's just so full of herself it makes me want to bash my head against the wall. So, my main point is that I was wondering if when I post the story (I'll let you know when I do) if you guys could read it on WattPad and leave me some of your spectacular reviews like you do on this story. If you do, make sure to leave your username at the end of the review in parentheses () because you will get two rewards for reviewing. First, you'll get a shoutout. Then, I'll PM you and you'll get to decide between two options. The options are: **

**a) Decide on the main plot of a chapter for either of my stories (you pick which one). So it's like you get to come up with the idea of a chapter and I just put it into words. So you'll be like the 'co-author' for that chapter and you'll get recognition at the beginning of the chapter**

**b) You get to decide on the names for the babies! You will get to PM me a name for the boy and for the girl and I'll put all the names into a poll and if yours gets the most votes than I'll use it in the story!**

**Let me know what you think of this little contest! Leave me a review about the story, the contest, or both! If you have any questions, make sure to leave them in a review or PM me! I love getting PM's from you guys, so never hesitate to send me one. **


	24. Chapter 24

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Hunger Games**

Each footstep the man takes brings him closer to where we sit, his feet unknowingly dragging him into a full-fledged attack. His eyelids droop, hanging like heavy curtains over his pale grey eyes. The flickering light bulb above us casts a shadow behind him, a silent mime following his every move.

Without turning my head, I shift my gaze to the side, keeping the man in my view. Peeta's face is rock hard, his lips pressed into a thin line and his eyes staring intently ahead. I see his hands trembling.

Tension hangs in the air, the only sound being the man's heavy footsteps as his worn-out shoes shuffle against the rough floor. As he gets nearer, the scent of beef and carrot stew wafts into my nose. Despite my hunger, the smell makes me want to vomit.

Finally, after what feels like years, the man reaches the cell door. By now, I have to fight to control my breathing, and sweat drips down my palms. I tighten my hands into fists and look at Peeta. My eyes shift to the man, and I see him setting the trays down and gripping his key ring, fingers fumbling to find the right key.

I turn back to Peeta, giving him the slightest nod.

It happens all in a moment, but I see it happen in slow motion. Peeta's legs extend, pulling him into a standing position. The man's eyes have only just lifted by the time Peeta is at the edge of the cell, the metal pipe raised into the air. I see his eyes get as big as I've ever seen them before Peeta's arm swings down, landing on the back of the man's head with a clean blow. With a thump, the man hits the ground, his keys clanging as they fly from his grip.

Seeing that the man is clearly unconscious, I stand up and walk over to Peeta. His eyes are fixed on the man, who lies slumped on the floor, his limbs sprawled about him.

"Peeta," I say, putting a hand on his shoulder. "He'll be fine. You did the right thing."

Peeta turns to me, his eyes faintly blurred with guilt. "I know, it's just… I hate hurting innocent people, because it reminds me of when I almost killed you." His eyes focus on the ground.

My grip tightens on his shoulder. "Peeta, you can't still blame yourself for that," I say firmly. "And you don't know that he was innocent. Now, let's just get the keys and see if we can get out of here."

I kneel down and I stick my arm through the bars, my fingers easily closing around his key ring. I stand up and walk a couple feet to the door of the cage, slipping my hand through the bars again and attempting to thrust the first key into the lock.

"No good," I mutter, letting go of the key and gripping onto the next one. I grunt in frustration when that one doesn't work either. I sigh.

"Looks like we might be here a while," Peeta chuckles behind me.

))))))))(((((((((

Finally, after trying several different keys, one slips into the lock.

"Peeta!" I exclaim. "I got it!"

He rushes over next to me, watching as my fingers turn the key and a definite _click! _echoes off the walls. I remove my hand as the cage door swings open, its hinges moaning from old age. Quickly, we scurry out of the cage, tiptoeing around the unconscious man at our feet. I pull the key out from the lock and am about to set the ring back down when a thought enters my head.

"Wait," I say, making Peeta turn back to me. I snap open the key ring and extract the cage key from it. Turning to Peeta, I hand him the key.

"Just in case," I mutter. He nods and pockets the key as I close the ring and set it on the ground.

We make our way to the door, and I carefully pull the handle to open it. Once opened, we see that a long, dark flight of stairs awaits us. I start up the stairs and Peeta follows, closing the door behind us. We feel our hands along the walls, our fingers trailing over damp, cold bricks. The smell of sewage wafts through the staircase, and a repetitive _drip, drip, drip _sounds through our ears.

As we travel higher and higher up the staircase, the air becomes muggy and humid, wrapping a suffocating hand around my throat and forcing a cough from my lips. I hear Peeta's heavy breathing behind me, since it isn't easy to walk up such a long flight of steps with a fake leg. But I know that the worst thing we could do is take a break, so we keep walking.

Finally, squinting my eyes in the dark, I make out a wall in front of us. "Peeta, I think we're at the end," I say, reaching my hands in front of me to feel against the wall. My hand catches on to a cold piece of metal, and I grasp my fingers around it. It feels like a lever, so I pull it up to be rewarded with a _thump _as the wall begins to loosen. By now, Peeta stands next to me, and with our combined strength, we lean our weight on the wall in effort to push it open. After a second, the wall pushes open slightly, allowing a ray of light to peek through the gap. Eventually, we get it open enough so that we can slip through.

Cautiously, we peek into the room, observing what awaits us before entering. It looks empty and void of any sort of cameras, so we exit the stairwell and tiptoe into the room, our eyes held wide as we scan our surroundings. The room is small, and doesn't have much in it. Bright, hospital-looking lights create an eye-piercing glaze on the room, and a besides a table in the corner, there isn't anything else. On top of the table are computers, stacks of manila folders resting next to each one. I count a total of three computers, and five folders for each one.

"Should we look?" Peeta says behind me, cutting the silence that had settled over us.

I shake my head. "Let's just get out of here; we can't let our curiosity get the better of us."

Our eyes scan the room until we spot a door on the left wall. Quickly, we cross the room and turn the handle to go through it, not thinking about what dangers may lay on the other side.

It turns out to be one of the worst mistakes we've ever made.

It all happens in the blink of an eye, giving me little time to react. As soon as I open the door, large, burly hands close around my forearms, and drag me to the side of the doorway. My breath catches in my throat and my I feel my eyes widen, the attack taking my brain my surprise.

"Let her go!" I hear Peeta yell. I look over to my right, and see him in the grasp of two burly guards as well, struggling in their grip as his limbs flail about.

"Oh, calm down, she'll be fine," A voice says. My eyes snap forwards, but I can't make out who the person is. The room is completely dark except for one yellow light bulb, flickering above me, Peeta, and the guards holding us. The voice continues, and I can almost hear the smirk in his voice when he says, "For now."

"Show yourself, you coward," Peeta hisses, his eyes filled with rage.

"Okay, okay. Gosh, you don't need to get so upset Peeta," I hear him say, and that's when the voice finally places itself. My suspicion is confirmed when he steps out of the shadows.

Aaron Stelli.

I grit my teeth and my eyes train on his mocking smirk. When his eyes land on me, I make sure to give him my best scowl.

"What the hell are we doing here?" Peeta demands. "I thought you were our lawyer."

"Well, it looks like my little act played out well, didn't it?" he responds, a sour chuckle escaping his throat. "But, I can assure you, I'm not the head of his little… scheme," he continues.

"Then who is?" I ask slowly through gritted teeth.

He turns to me, and a menacing smile reaches his lips. He walks up to me, his hands linked behind his back. When his face is mere inches from mine, I want nothing more than to squirm back. But I can't look weak, not now.

"Are you sure you want to know, Ms. Everdeen?" He asks, cocking an eyebrow. I scowl at his tone before spitting on him, drops of saliva landing on his cheeks. To my relief, he leans back, obviously a little surprised. "Well," he says, pulling a handkerchief out of his pocket and rubbing his face. "I'll take that as a yes." I smirk, momentarily enjoying my small victory.

He puts the handkerchief back in his pocket before looking back up at me. "Well, Ms. Everdeen, since you insist, I'll inform you that my employer is your very own, best friend," he says. My jaw drops as a million thoughts race through my head. I feel dizzy before I even hear him say the dreaded name.

"Gale Hawhorne."

**A/N: Ok guys, don't kill me, more will be explained in the next chapter!**

**Anyways, I've put up the first chapter of my original story on WattPad, the one I talked about in the last chapter. Just a reminder, if you go read the chapter and leave a comment with you FF username, you will get two things. ****First, you'll get a shoutout. Then, I'll PM you once you leave your comment and you'll get to choose one of two things:**

**a) Decide on the main plot of a chapter for either of my stories (you pick which one). So it's like you get to come up with the idea of a chapter and I just put it into words. So you'll be like the 'co-author' for that chapter and you'll get recognition at the beginning of the chapter**

**b) You get to decide on the names for the babies! You will get to PM me a name for the boy and for the girl and I'll put all the names into a poll and if yours gets the most votes than I'll use it in the story!**

**Here's the summary for the story:**

_**Tessa is different. She had no friends. She hardly ever sees her mom. At sixteen, she has to hold down a job just to make it by. But she doesn't care about those things. Those things seem pitiful compared to the largest burden of all: her flashes. She sees things that other people can't. She witnesses events unfolding within her mind, events that don't really happen- until the day she meets Aaron. Tessa isn't a teenager. Tessa isn't an average girl. Tessa is different. Tessa is nameless.**_

**In order to find my story on Wattpad, search**_**nameless tessa**___**and it should be the only result. You'll know for sure because it's by KatnissWriter :) I hope you guys participate and it would REALLY mean a lot to me!**

**Besides that, leave a review telling me what you thought about the chapter! What is Gale going to do? You'll see very soon! **


	25. Chapter 25

**Before I start, I wanted to shout out a huge THANK YOU to everyone who read my story on WattPad and left a review. Here are those people:**

*******xx-Want-A-Sugar-Cube-xx**

***CyrusBreeze**

*******HealthyHungerGamesObsession101**

***OJsmybestfriend**

***thehungergamesfreak22**

**Thanks so much you guys, it means a lot to me! :)**

**Disclaimer: I dO nOt OwN tHe HuNgEr GaMeS**

"_Gale Hawthorne."_

A million questions race through my mind, but I bite my tongue, holding them back. Instead, after a deep breath, I ask him the important question.

"What does he want with us?" I ask, using every ounce of self-control to keep myself from screaming.

"Oh, nothing much," Aaron says nonchalantly, examining his fingernails. "Just a quick conversation is all."

I feel my body grow hot and my fingers clench into fists as anger overtakes my senses. If I could, I would lunge at Aaron, and tear his face to pieces with my fingernails. However, the guard still has a grip on my arm, getting tighter as I get angrier.

"Wait, so you're saying that we were kept in that prison cell just so that he could have a damn conversation with us?" I hear Peeta ask. I look over at him and see he's also seething with anger. "Bullshit!"

I don't have time to be surprised by Peeta's use of language. The next thing I know, we're being shoved across the room as Aaron steps out of the way, disappearing behind us. In the darkness, the guards find a door along the wall and open it, pushing us through it. Instead of following us inside, they just close it behind us, leaving Peeta and I alone.

There are no lights in whatever room we've been put into, so we're completely suspended in darkness. I feel Peeta find my hand in the dark, not wanting to lose me. I grip his hand desperately, suddenly afraid of whatever is going to happen next.

I feel my heart almost leap out of my throat when the floor begins moving.

"Peeta!" I gasp, trying to move towards him in the darkness as I feel myself moving away from him. The sound of churning machinery echoes off the walls, no doubt being what powers the moving floor.

"Katniss!" I hear him cry out. For a moment, my hand unlinks from his. Soon after, though, I hear his panicked footsteps, followed by a thud next to me.

My hands fumble in the darkness, grasping onto his arm when I find it. He takes my hand in response.

"I was being carried off in another direction," he says breathlessly. "But I jumped onto your pathway in time. Oh, god, I thought I'd lost you."

I pull him closer to me in fear that he'll be pulled off again. "Well, we're together now. Let's just make sure we don't get separated," I say. Then, in a quieter tone, I continue, "Where do you think this thing is bringing us?"

"I don't know, but I think-" He cuts himself off when we get slammed into a wall. Our shoulders collide with hard, cold concrete, making us wince. Luckily, though, it seems that the floor has stopped moving.

Keeping a grip on Peeta's hand, I feel against the wall. "Let's see if there's a door around here," I say.

We walk a few yards to the right, feeling against the wall when we find a door. I grab the handle and turn it, happy to find that it isn't locked. Light bursts through the door, momentarily blinding me as my eyes transition from darkness to sudden illumination.

I step through the door, Peeta walking right behind me. We enter a small a room, the walls and floor colored a pure white. There are only three things in the room- a large white bed, a silver toilet jutting out from the wall, and a brown table. On the table is an envelope, presumably holding a letter.

Silently, we walk over to the table, and see that our names are written on the front of the letter. Peeta picks up the envelope and tears it open, extracting the letter and folding it open.

It consists of only two sentences, and one signature:

_Be ready to meet at 10:30 am tomorrow. A clock has been provided on the wall above._

_-Gale H._

I look up and sure enough, a wall clock sits above our heads, letting us know that its 9:00 pm.

I back away from the table, suddenly feeling dizzy. I feel my whole body start to tremble and collapse on the bed behind me. Bringing my knees up to my chest, my hands fly up to cover my face as I concentrate on my breathing, which has become fairly erratic.

It's only a few moments later when I feel Peeta sit next to me, his weight dipping into the duvet.

Cautiously, he places a hand on the back of my neck, unsure of what to expect. "Katniss?" he says in a quiet, soothing tone. "What's wrong, love?"

"It's all just too much," I choke out through my hands before they finally flit away from my face. I wrap my arms around my knees, slightly leaning into Peeta to let him know I'm not going to lash out. "All of this. Everything. We were supposed to be in the Capitol, getting ready for the trial. And our _wedding_! And look where we are instead- some mysterious facility with moving floors under the captivity of Aaron and Gale. I just don't understand…" I shake my head taking a deep breath before continuing. "I don't understand how he could do this," I whisper. "Sure, he was jealous, and angry that I left him. But, still. He was my best friend; I've known him my whole life. I never thought him to be so… so _devious _and _cruel_ even if he was angry. It's just… just not right."

"I know," Peeta responds. "I mean, I understand. I didn't know him as well as you did, but I saw him. I saw him giving game to starving children. I saw him looking after his siblings, helping his mother in every way he could. I saw him looking after _you_, with one of the fiercest senses of protection I've ever seen." Peeta shakes his head as well, fully wrapping his arms around me as I lean into his chest. He places a kiss on the top of my head before continuing. "There's definitely something not right," he mutters.

)))))))))(((((((((

The next morning, I wake up in Peeta's arms, and I almost think that we're at home, safe and sound in our bed. When the walls' blazing white color meets my eyes, though, I remember what a horrible situation we're actually in.

I sit up in bed, careful not to wake Peeta so that he can have a few more minutes away from our current dilemma. I look at the clock and see that its 10:00 am, indicating that we still have half an hour until our…meeting.

I pull out the elastic of my braid, running my fingers through it in substitution for a comb. Luckily, it's warmer in this room than it was in our cell, plus we have a bed with a duvet and pillows. So we were able to remove our heavy coats and jackets, which now rest on the table where the letter was. We're still wearing the pajamas we put on two days ago in our hotel, and I can almost feel the grime and sweat that has built up on my body from lying in that cell. Right now, though, that's the least of my worries. I don't think Peeta minds that much either.

Peeta wakes up a few minutes after me, and then all we can do is wait.

The clock ticks closer and closer to 10:30 am.

**A/N: Ok guys, so I have a few things to say, so PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE read this AN.**

**First, thank you all for the gorgeous reviews. You are all sooo wonderful!**

**Second, for those of you who read my story on WattPad, "The Consequences of Being Nameless", I first wanted to say thank you for reading it. Also, for those that liked it, Chapter 2 is up, and I would love you forever if you read it!**

**Third, I want to ask you guys your opinion on my chapter lengths for this story. I used to do chapter that were like 1,000 words, but since I came back to FF, they've been more like 2,000 words, but not coming as frequently. So tell me in a review if you prefer frequent chapters that are shorter, or longer chapters that aren't so frequent. **

**Finally, the baby name poll is up! It will be one girl and one boy, and you guys get to vote for the names! All the names actually come from readers on here who read my WattPad story and left a comment with their thoughts. Right now, the poll for the boy's name is up. Once I get enough votes, I'll put up the poll for the girl's name. I'll let you know when I do that :)**

**So, go vote on your favorite names! After you leave a review, of course :) **


	26. Chapter 26

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games**

**Warning: This chapter contains some strong language!**

Suddenly, the door to our right flies open. The same guard from before stands in the doorway.

"Come with me," he says in a low, gruff voice. Peeta and I stand from our positions on the bed, and I feel Peeta take my hand in his as we walk towards the guard.

He leads us out of the room into a long, narrow hallway, which separates into another three winding pathways at the end. We go through about ten different hallways before the guard finally stops in front of a door. My thoughts swarm inside my head, imagining all sorts of possibilities as to where we've been brought to and why.

He pulls out a ring of keys and unlocks the door before pushing it open and shoving me inside, my hand slipping out of Peeta's. I hear the door lock behind me, just as Peeta cries out my name.

"Let me out!" I yell, not exactly aware yet of where I am. I bang my fists on the door, even kicking it a few times. A defeating silence is my only response.

Once I accept that the door isn't going to be opened anytime soon, I turn around and take in my surroundings, trying to figure out where I am. A dull light illuminates the room, giving off a hazy glow. The room is small, no more than ten feet in width. It barely fits the large desk and leather chair, which take up the majority of the room's space. Several papers lay in a scattered arrangement on top of the desk, each one inscribed with countless lines of black print and various edits in blue ink.

There is a man sitting in the leather desk chair, but I refuse to make eye contact with him.

"Long time no see," Gale smirks from his seat behind the desk, obviously amused by my performance. "How have you been, Katniss? The twins doing alright?"

I glare at him, but stay silent.

"Why don't you have a seat?" he says, gesturing to the beat-up, leather armchair in front of the desk.

"I'd rather stand," I snap in reply.

He raises his eyebrows, slightly taken aback before his smirk reappears. "Suit yourself," he shrugs.

"What do you want with us?" I hiss, my frustration with the man in front of me building by the second.

"Well, Peeta is not a part of my concern," he says casually, as if he were talking about a dinner plans. "You, on the other hand, are."

My eyes narrow. "Why? What could I possibly offer to you? I don't love you Gale, nor shall I ever. You were a friend to me, my best friend even, but after all you've done to me, I can't even call you that."

Gale's jaw tightens. "I'm sorry to hear that, but that's not why I brought you here."

"Then what the HELL do you want!" I yell exasperatedly.

"You still have power, Katniss!" he yells back, standing up from his chair. "Don't you see? You still have an upper hand in this putrid world we live in!"

"And why the FUCK should I care!" I demand. It has quickly become a screaming battle between the two of us, reminding me of our arguments in the forest as teenagers.

"Because you and I both agreed on something a long time ago," he says, his voice suddenly growing calmer. "Remember when we won the war, and we voted on whether there should be one last Hunger Games?"

I feel my face relax into a neutral expression as I nod.

"Well, it obviously didn't happen, thanks to a change in events," he continues, giving me a pointed look.

I narrow my eyes. "Please, shooting Coin was probably one of the best choices I've made. She was no better than Snow."

Gale just rolls his eyes in response. My hands ball up into fists, my fingernails tearing into my palms.

I open my mouth to yell at him again, but he interrupts before I can. "Listen, that doesn't matter anymore. What does matter, though, is that it can still happen," he says, his voice taking on a slightly desperate tone.

"Stop playing with me, Gale. Just tell me what you want," I say, frustrated.

"I want you to initiate one last Hunger Games for children of the Capitol," he says in a low tone, his face void of emotion.

I feel my eyebrows shoot up and my jaw drop open. "Are you CRAZY? You can't possibly be serious!" I exclaim. "There are so many things wrong with what you just said!"

"Oh yeah? Like what?" he demands.

"I don't know where to begin," I sputter. "First of all, what makes you think that anyone would be on board with that? Including me?"

"Well, if I remember correctly, you were totally on board with it when it was first suggested," he growls.

"Well maybe I've changed my mind!"

"Well maybe I don't care if you're on board or not!"

"What the hell does that mean?"

"It means I have a way of making you do it!"

I stop short when he says that. "Oh yeah? What's that?" I hiss.

His shoulders relax, and the smug grin replaces the angered expression on his face. "I have a cure. In a folder in one of these cabinets, I have a cure."

He doesn't need to say anything for me to realize what cure he's talking about.

The cure for my baby.

My hands begin to tremble. "No," I say shakily. "I- I don't care. I'm not going to kill twenty-three innocent children for it. Even I'm not that selfish."

But when I say it, I feel _incredibly _selfish. I feel like I'm depriving my future son or daughter from a chance at a normal life.

"Damn it, Katniss!" Gale yells, banging his fist on the desk and making me jump. Suddenly, he walks around the desk in front of me, and grasps my shoulders. "You WILL. I don't care what I have to do, you WILL," he growls, pinning me to the wall by my shoulders.

"Get OFF of me!" I scream, struggling against his grip.

Suddenly, his pupils dilate, and his grip slightly loosens as his grey eyes swarm over. The action seems all too familiar…

I slip out of his grip and race over to the other side of the room.

And then it hits me.

I can't help but gasp when the realization hits me like speeding truck.

"You're hijacked," I say in a barely audible whisper. My whole body begins to shake. "You're hijacked," I say again, loud enough for him to hear.

His face hardens, and I see the familiar struggle in his eyes, his mind pulling him in several different directions.

And then the door flies open.

**A/N: I'm sooo sorry this took forever but I've been super busy. But anyways, make sure you all go to my profile to vote on baby names! Right now the poll for the boy's name is up, and once I get at least thirty votes, I'll put up the poll for the girl's name. **

**Make sure to review, and tell me what you think about this new revelation about Gale!**


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